Fish and Wildlife Service to review former official's species decisions

摘要

A long-simmering spat over Endangered Species Act decisions by a former controversial official came to a boil last week when the Fish and Wildlife Service said it would reconsider seven of her eight decisions. The pronouncement could affect habitats shared with oil and natural gas development in the West. The seven decisions being reconsidered, which denied protection to six species, were criticized at the time by environmental groups and the Interior Department inspector general, who found that political appointee Julie MacDonald, then deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, had edited scientific findings in favor of industry interests.