Environmental Protection

Before building a new highway or dam, should agencies like the Department of Transportation consult scientists about the project’s possible impact on the local ecosystem? If your answer is yes, you’re in good company. In an effort to overturn one of the Bush administration’s midnight-hour maneuvers, President Obama signed a memorandum to help reinstate the Endangered Species Act. Obama is asking agencies responsible for large-scale construction projects to speak with scientists and determine what effects their project may have on local threatened wildlife. This gesture has already garnered praise from organizations such as the Sierra Club who applauded Obama’s efforts to respect natural resources.