Constitutional Law

IG Report Blasts Agency's Work On Endangered Species Act

An extensive inspector general’s report slams the Interior Department for failing to implement regulations to protect endangered species. The New York Times reports that the Department’s inspector general “found that the agency officials often interfered with scientific work in order to limit protections for species at risk of becoming extinct, reviving attention to years of disputes over the Bush administration’s science policies.” The 141-page report issued yesterday singles out former Interior Department Deputy Assisstant Secretary Julie MacDonald, concluding that her “zeal to advance her agenda has caused considerable harm to the integrity” of the Endangered Species Act programs.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, lauded the inspector general’s work in a press release. Wyden also said that, “This report makes it crystal clear how one person’s contempt for the public trust can infect an entire agency. Ms. MacDonald’s narrow focus on her own agenda not only endangered the Endangered Species Act, it opened the door for countless land-use decisions and developments that would never otherwise been considered.”

The inspector general’s report is available here.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on December 16, 2008 (boomark / email).