Prof Doremus Discusses Environmental Impact of Bush Policy in Science

Professor Holly Doremus was interviewed for an article in the influential Science magazine. In the interview, Doremus discussed new rules the Bush administration has proposed to exempt some federal and private projects from a review process that is currently undertaken by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists to ensure the projects comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As the article detailed, the administration seeks to streamline the review process, in part to prevent the ESA from being used to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. But Professor Doremus cautioned, based on actual case studies, that without Fish and Wildlife scientist review, many projects will ignore harmful environmental impacts the ESA was intended to address, since other federal agencies involved in project approval processes do not always use the best available science.

Doremus, a professor of law at UC Davis, is a nationally recognized expert in environmental law and one of the country's leading authorities on the Endangered Species Act.

Science magazine article, August 22. 2008