Published: 17:33 EST, July 20, 2007

Endangered Species Rulings Under Review

By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer

(AP) -- Decisions to reduce federal protection for the Rocky Mountain jumping mouse, a Western bird known as the "mosquito king" and other threatened creatures will be reconsidered after alleged improper meddling by a senior Interior Department official.

H. Dale Hall, the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on Friday ordered the review of eight endangered species decisions in which former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald was involved.

MacDonald's resignation from the post overseeing Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service was announced in May after the department's inspector general rebuked her for pressuring scientists to alter their findings about endangered species and leaking information about them to industry officials.

Among the eight decisions, two involve the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. One was a 2005 proposal to remove the 9-inch mouse, named for its ability to leap twice its length and pivot midair, from the government's endangered species list. The second was a 2003 decision about the amount of acreage that should be protected to help the mouse recover.

Other species covered by Hall's order are the Southwestern willow flycatcher, white-tailed prairie dog, arroyo toad, California red-legged frog, Canada lynx and 12 species of Hawaiian picture-wing flies.

"We want to make sure that the science is true," Hall told reporters in a teleconference Friday.

He said he ordered the reviews based on the recommendations of his regional directors, whom he had asked to study MacDonald's decisions.

"It's a blemish, I believe, on the scientific integrity of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior, so we're going to place a pretty high priority on trying to get those done," he said. "We wouldn't be doing them if we didn't at least suspect that the decision will be different. But I don't want to predetermine outcome."

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, praised the Interior Department for "stepping up to the plate to begin addressing the 'politics trumps science' ploy endemic throughout this administration." His committee held a hearing on MacDonald's actions shortly after her resignation was announced.

"What we have learned to date raises concerns about political tinkering with science that has affected perhaps 100 endangered species-related decisions - and goodness knows what else - that deserve further scrutiny," Rahall said Friday.

Hall said he had decided, based on regional directors' recommendations, against revisiting decisions affecting three other species: the Mexican garter snake found in the waters of Arizona and New Mexico; the bull trout of the Northwest; and the marbled murrelet seabird found along the Pacific Coast.

Environmentalists noted that Hall was agreeing to review only about a third of the cases in which misconduct by MacDonald was alleged.

"While we welcome the revisiting of decisions where political interference has been documented, the list of species under consideration is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive," said Francesca Grifo, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' integrity program.

"The real culprit here is not a renegade political appointee." Grifo said. "The real culprit is a process where decisions are made behind closed doors."

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http://www.physorg.com/news104171585.html

July 20, 2007

FWS Acknowledges "Inappropriate Influence" In Decision-Making; Actions Insufficient to Restore Scientific Integrity to Policy Making
Statement By Francesca Grifo, Union Of Concerned Scientists Scientific Integrity Program Director

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/fws-acknowledges-047-1.html