The state of California is suing the Bush administration in order to block last-minute changes it are trying to make in order to restrict the powers of the Endangered Species Act. Late Monday the Attorney General of California filed the suit in the US District Court in San Francisco.
One of the changes that tops the list as the most egregious is the fact that federal agencies can now issue permits for mining and logging without getting reviews from federal wildlife biologists. California has a special interest in protecting their wildlife, having 310 species on the endangered list and lots of natural resources that various corporate interests would love to tap without regard to wildlife. While Obama has promised to reverse the ruling, it could take some time to do so and the state lawsuit throws an additional kink in the works for Bush. You can read more about it over at CBS News.
