National Geographic:The bald eagle has rebounded from the brink of extinction, U.S. officials say, and in an announcement this morning the government removed it from the list of federally protected species.
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Michael Daulton, director of conservation policy for the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C., called the eagle's recovery "one of the greatest achievements for conservation in American history."
Now the bad news, reported by almost none of the news sources I've checked to day:
The celebratory mood, however, is dampened in some quarters by a Supreme Court decision Monday that conservationists fear will curtail the reach of the Endangered Species Act.
Traditionally federal agencies must consider how projects such as dam building, forest logging, and subdivision construction will affect endangered species before issuing permits.
But in its recent 5-4 ruling, the court decided the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can transfer permitting authority to state agencies without first considering the welfare of endangered species. The ruling specifically affects permits issued under the Clean Water Act.
"The full effect of this decision remains to be seen, but we are very concerned," said Irvin of Defenders of Wildlife, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case.
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Irvin is concerned the Bush Administration will try to use the ruling to argue that other federal laws also trump the Endangered Species Act.
In a press statement, the National Association of Home Builders, a trade organization that represents developers, applauded the Supreme Court decision as maintaining balance when considering environmental regulations.
"We can't say that the Endangered Species Act is an 'uber-statute' that should slow down regulatory decisions," the builders association president Brian Catalde said.
So here's a future headline regarding the bald eagle being taken off the endangered list -- "It Was Good While It Lasted."
