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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neeka who wrote (229330)	2/21/2002 2:26:25 AM
From: Raymond Duray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

FROM THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC FISHERIES OVEREXPLOITATION Dear moenmac, Thank you for presenting this opportunity to discuss something other than Dubya's special relationship with Kenny Boy, his irresponsible saber rattling and attempts to enslave the youth of America by saddling them with obscene national debt increases. I was getting bored by the litany. As to fisheries, I will present you with the views of the Conservation Law Foundation, the largest regional environmental advocacy organization in the United States. Here is proof that Bush small-mindedly puts short term profit ahead of prudent husbanding of our resource base: clf.org Bush Administration Fails First Fisheries Test: East Coast Scallop Plan Challenged in Court Lawsuit Challenges Risky Plan for Fisheries and Marine Habitats Boston, MA (June 1, 2001) - Conservationists are taking to court a Bush Administration plan to allow damaging fishing gear in sensitive marine habitats off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coast. The plan, developed through a flawed public process, is consistent with the Bush Administration’s apparent environmental policy – maximize short-term economic gain at all costs, even if advised to the contrary by fishing, environmental, and scientific experts. "Plain and simple, the plan adopted is the most environmentally damaging alternative and will hurt the scallop fishery and other important fisheries in the long run," said Dr. Anthony Chatwin, a scientist at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) in Boston. VIEW THE COMPLAINT Conservation Law Foundation vs. Evans (Adobe PDF File) CLF and the American Oceans Campaign (AOC) filed suit against recently appointed Commerce Secretary Donald Evans in the federal district of Massachusetts on Thursday. Secretary Evans approved the plan, known in fishing circles as "Framework Adjustment 14" to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. It allows scallop dredging to impact thousands of square miles of sensitive marine habitat and important New England fishing grounds. Hundreds of letters from concerned citizens, scientists, fishermen and even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, asked the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) to make changes in the plan to minimize dredging impacts and protect important nursery grounds for young scallops and groundfish. The NEFMC, the entity that develops fishery management plans, and Secretary Evans’ National Marine Fisheries Service ignored these requests. Hence the lawsuit. "Fishing in areas with an abundance of young scallops is wasteful because the dredge either crushes the small critters or catches them before their prime," pointed out Dr. Chatwin. "Big, healthy scallops sell for more in the fish markets -- these are the scallops that would sustain the fishery two, three years from now." Effective May 1st, the Bush plan allows 2-ton scallop dredges to be towed over an area the size of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined. Scientists say this kind of fishing gear hurts the marine ecosystem by: Impacting the hard-bottom habitats that provide crucial shelter and feeding grounds for other fish populations; Destroying plants, crabs, starfish, and other bottom-dwelling species that make up the sea floor community; and Catching and wasting flatfish, skates, and cod, whose populations are depleted and struggling to rebuild. "The Bush plan fails to adequately protect cod habitat from the devastating effects of scallop dredging. Cod fishermen on Georges Bank may be looking at further catch restrictions as the cod stocks fail to recover," said Chris Zeman, Fisheries Program Councel and New England Field Representative for American Oceans Campaign. "It is unacceptable to ignore the public’s concerns about the management of this public resource in this supposedly public process," added Zeman. Conservationists filed the challenge under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The MSA requires Commerce Secretary Evans to minimize the impacts of scallop dredging on marine habitats that are essential for groundfish and other commercial fish species, and to reduce wasteful bycatch. NEPA requires the decision-makers to thoroughly analyze the environmental impacts of alternatives for action before making a final decision. Despite violating both mandates, the plan received approval from the Secretary of Commerce, a Bush appointee. "Secretary Evans and the Bush Administration are damaging the marine environment first and asking questions later, hurting the long-term productivity of our fisheries and the health of our marine wildlife," said Eric Bilsky, lawyer for the Ocean Law Project, representing CLF and the AOC in this case. "Common sense and science tell us that we are only hurting ourselves when we allow destructive dredging in sensitive marine areas." ........................................................ Here is the complaint: clf.org ......................................................... I stand by my comments, and will amplify them. Bush doesn't care about the environment or the future. He merely cares that he and his band of corporate chieftains rape this country for everything they can get away with as soon as possible. Clear enough? All the best, Ray