A US federal judge has overturned new Bush administration rules that would have allowed use of pesticides on endangered species and their habitats without consultation with federal wildlife agencies stating that

….the change reflected a “total lack” of scientific justification and that there were “disturbing indications” the administration deliberately muted dissent from government scientists.

The court also stated

“The court feels compelled to note that there are disturbing indications in the record that the very structure of the service-EPA cooperation was engineered (by EPA) to conceal or minimize the positional differences between the services and EPA.”

Jamie Rappaport Clark, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Clinton administration noted

“Up to now, EPA’s track record in addressing the effects of pesticides on endangered species has been abysmal. Instead of solving the problem, they simply weakened the rules - allowing more potentially dangerous chemicals to be pumped into the environment without proper review,”

It’s not the first time that the Bush administration has been called to task for its’ opinions on science, you may recall that back in February of 2004

…….more than 60 leading scientists—including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors and university chairs and presidents—issued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. According to the scientists, the Bush administration has, among other abuses, suppressed and distorted scientific analysis from federal agencies, and taken actions that have undermined the quality of scientific advisory panels.

“Across a broad range of issues, the administration has undermined the quality of the scientific advisory system and the morale of the government’s outstanding scientific personnel,” said Dr. Kurt Gottfried, emeritus professor of physics at Cornell University and Chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Whether the issue is lead paint, clean air or climate change, this behavior has serious consequences for all Americans.”

I don’t fault Bush, or his administration, for not knowing environmental science. I do fault him for not using a little bit of common sense and not knowing that he doesn’t know diddly about the science, and not listening to those who do.

Voltaire once said ‘common sense is both rare and a lot more important to successful leadership than intelligence’, the bunker agrees.