Obama Aims Axe At Pro-Business Regulations on Conservation

The Obama administration is reviewing habitat protective decisions set under President George W. Bush, alleging political interference that favored economic development over conservation. It has already revoked a plan to quadruple federal public forest open to logging in western Oregon, citing danger to the northern spotted owl and salmon populations.

Home builders and farmers will face longer, costlier delays to get permits as Washington reworks the boundaries of contested areas. Local governments and power companies will see federal funding for infrastructure projects held up.

Many of the reviews will focus on the Pacific Coast and the desert Southwest. California, with 40 percent of its territory designated as "critical habitat," is likely to have additional land and water set aside to protect such species as the Buena Vista Lake shrew and the California tiger salamander.

Critical habitat is defined under the Endangered Species Act as the geographic area necessary not just for the survival of an endangered or threatened species but also for its recovery. The law requires an economic analysis before a designation is set, but it doesn't prohibit development on areas designated as critical habitats. However, it requires developers to conduct environmental impact reviews and obtain permits from a range of federal agencies, a time-consuming and costly process.

In its closing weeks, the Bush administration sought to provide businesses with some relief, allowing other federal agencies to give the go-ahead to development without first getting approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, the two entities that administer the Endangered Species Act. The new administration froze the rule, then repealed it in late April.