“Last-Ditch Regulatory Mischief,” By Paul Driessen.
As time ticks down on the Obama administration, its appointees and minions in federal agencies across America are scrambling to deliver last-minute favors to their favorite constituencies — especially environmentalists. …A perfect example involves the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which among other things plays a central role in administering the Endangered Species Act. … in recent years the act has been invoked to protect small, obscure creatures, including insects — or block vitally needed energy and economic development. … A case in point is the Delta Smelt, a three-inch bait fish of no commercial importance that was recently declared endangered. … Another example is the September 2016 Fish and Wildlife Service announcement of a “12-month finding” in a Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation appeal to designate the rusty patched bumblebee an endangered species. Read More.
