Here’s the difference…

BushCo had passed some midnight regulations in mid December as a gift to builders and developers.  It allowed government agencies to simply decide on their own if a given project would harm an endangered species.  No scientific oversight.  No investigation.  No gathering of evidence.  If a developer could get someone at the agency to simply decide in their favor, then they could lay waste to an area and not have to deal with those pesky scientists and their interfering knowledge.

Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that federal agencies will again be required to undergo scientific review on projects that could affect endangered species

“By rolling back this 11th hour regulation, we are ensuring that threatened and endangered species continue to receive the full protection of the law.  Because science must serve as the foundation for decisions we make, federal agencies proposing to take actions that might affect threatened and endangered species will once again have to consult with biologists at the two departments.”

Get that?  These guys want to actually use science as a foundation for making a decision!