Early Obama Environmental Moves

Shortly after the nation witnessed history on Inauguration Day, President Barack Obama began his term in office by freezing all federal regulations that had not yet been finalized. This included two key environmental regulations. The first would have loosened air quality standards, while the second would have removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

Photograph by Justin Sloan (c) 2008

Many of former President Bush's late-term regulations were unable to be halted by this decision, however, including a major degradation of the Endangered Species Act. Bush and his administration have also opened the path for oil shale development to begin in Western states, for more oil rigs to be placed off our coasts, and for oil and gas drilling near our country's National Parks. Stopping these things will not be as easy, and President Obama has a tall task over the next months and years if he wishes to please environmentalists who expect these decisions to be revoked.

While the current administration has only been in office a few days, many are expecting Obama to quickly begin to turn the country's environmental policies in a new direction. It appears that this has begun, but the newly inaugurated president will have to continue to move forward in the coming days and weeks.

Please continue to write local, state, and federal officials and urge them to act on behalf of our wildlife and the natural world.