An Endangered Act

"In the last six years, the Bush administration has added fewer species to the endangered list than any other since the law was enacted in 1973...Beyond the reluctance to list new species, a bottleneck is weakening efforts to save those already listed...in part because funds have been cut for their recovery."

"The Bush administration has added 58 species to the endangered list, 54 of those in response to litigation. By comparison, 231 [species] were protected by the president's father, George H.W. Bush...Since 2000, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budgets...have been slashed by 15% in real dollars. Bush's fiscal 2008 budget calls for an additional 28% in cuts."

"...recovery programs, listing decisions and efforts to remove wildlife from existing protections have been heavily influenced by Bush appointees with close ties to industries that have contested the law."

"...a deputy assistant secretary of the Interior who oversaw the endangered-species program, resigned last month after the inspector general found that she had ordered scientists to change their findings, and shared internal documents with lobbyists for agricultural and energy interests."

"To date, the Bush administration has taken 15 species off the endangered list - more than any other administration. Some were widely applauded, such as the bald eagle...Others, environmental groups contend, were politically driven..."