Ponderings of a Scientist

Three environmentally related stories involving the
President have recently come to my attention.
The way I see it his plus/minus is zero.
A neutral plus/minus is just about the best we can expect from the Texas
oil barren cowboy (how depressing is that).

+1. Enacting the
Antiquities Act of 1906 (I think) to designate the North
West Islands of Hawaii
a National Monument. This area,approximately
140,000 square miles, is the largest marine sanctuary in the world and this designation will protect one of the
last truly natural (read: not affected by humans) marine ecosystems in the world. While I very much appreciate this designation
I can’t help but be cynical. What is
G.W. up to? Did he secretly sign a bill
to open all of Alaska to oil drilling while the environmentalist of the country
were awestruck by the Hawaii announcement?
Perhaps nothing this cynical is at play, but still he has an alterior
motive I’m sure. The area he designated
was already part of a 5 year pilot marine sanctuary program and would have
likely been authorized as such by Congress in the next few years, he just took
the thunder and glory for himself!

Neutral. Some high up
in the administration announced this week after years (perhaps decades) of
debate that the federal government’s official stand on national parks will be
such: “Conservation before Utilization”. For some reason this wasn’t an obvious
decision. I rank this as neutral however
because there is no law involved; we now must wait an see what happens when
some big business interest wants access to a park for some profit. Hopefully, we will have a more environmentally
minded administration by that point.

-1. Thank you Supreme
Court Justice Kennedy for casting the deciding vote on the save our wetlands debate. Apparently the EPA’s Clean Water Act is too bothersome for home builders eager to turn low-lying land into
multi-million dollar house with estuary, pond or ocean views. Lobbyists tried to convince the Supreme Court
that the rules protecting all water in the country were too strict and water that
doesn’t directly drain into a river or ocean shouldn’t be included in the rules. All of the Bush appointees agreed with the
builders (4 total), fourothers sided with the original ruling, and then Justice
Kennedy came in with a rather vague ruling that essential sends the whole issue
back to a lower court, but does save our wetlands for now. If I weren’t about to run out the door I
would leave you with a spiel on the importance of wetlands, instead I direct you to the court documents.