FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2008 Contact: Kristina Johnson 415.977.5619 Sierra Club Fights to Save Wildlife, Parks, Water from Bush's Midnight Attacks The Sierra Club acted swiftly this week to rescue wildlife, water, and national parks from a series of last-minute attacks by the Bush administration. In its waning days in office, the administration has imposed a number ofnew rules that undermine environmental protections. The Sierra Club will be working with Congress and the Obama administration to undo the damage done by the Bush administration as it leaves town. This week alone, the group responded to regulations gutting the Endangered Species Act and allowing oil and gas drilling near National Parks and in pristine wildlife habitat. Last minute regulations challenged by the Sierra Club include: Oil Drilling Near National Parks This Friday, December 19, the Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to sell drilling leases on 110,000 acres of land near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups filed suit Wednesday to stop the BLM from selling Utah's natural treasures to the highest bidder. "If these sales move forward, iconic places like Arches National Park could be scarred forever by views of drilling rigs and the roads, infrastructure, and pollution that accompany them," said Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope. Gutting the Endangered Species Act Last week, the Bush administration issued a final set of regulations that significantly weaken protections for the nation's most threatened wildlife. On Wednesday, Sierra Club and other groups filed suit to block the regulations. "America's most threatened wildlife have already suffered as a result of the Bush administration's negligence and attacks on science. Decisions about protecting wildlife should be based on science, not politics," said Pope. Dirty Oil Shale Development in Prime Fish and Wildlife Habitat On Tuesday, the Sierra Club, along with several other groups, announced its intent to file suit to protect two million acres of public land in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming that the Bush administration opened last month to oil shale development. "Oil shale development threatens to create wildlife dead zones in prime habitat and recreation areas. Mining and processing oil shale requires huge amounts of energy and would deplete the West's already short water supplies," said Pope. ### - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp