On January 14 the Army Corps of Engineers announced changes to several wetlands rules that will make it easier for developers, mining companies and others to qualify for general permits to dredge and fill wetlands, according to the Washington Post. This action comes on the heels of an October 2001 decision in which the Army Corps of Engineers issued a policy that allows developers to offset losses of wetlands on one site by protecting wetlands, or even dry land, elsewhere. This move came even after a National Academy of Sciences report found that the Corps' mitigation policy was not providing for "no net loss" of wetlands.

As the Washington Post reported on January 15, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles, who lobbied for mining interests before joining Interior, were involved in a controversy over "missing comments" that the Fish and Wildlife Service submitted to the Army Corps -- the comments were critical of the Corps' plan to weaken the rules and Norton evidently failed to give those critical comments to the Corps. Earlier this year, Norton was accused of altering Fish and Wildlife Service data regarding the effects of drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), in an attempt to remove obstacles from drilling in the ANWR. It is painstakingly clear that Bush's appointees to protect the environment are wreaking havoc on our environmental protections. Read more in the full Bush Regulatory Report.