FACTBOX: Bush's "midnight regulations" on environment
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush, a long-standing target of environmentalists, has sparked criticism for presiding over a stream of ecologically unfriendly measures at the end of his tenure.
Here is a partial list of lingering issues and new rules in Bush's waning weeks.
* CLIMATE CHANGE: The Environmental Protection Agency has said climate change endangers human health, a finding that should trigger action under the Clean Air Act. But this finding languished in bureaucratic limbo for months, making any action before Bush leaves impossible.
* POWER PLANT POLLUTION: One rule would exempt power plants from improving their pollution standards when they update their facilities. Another would weaken regulations that let power plants emit pollution near national parks and other pristine areas.
* ENDANGERED SPECIES: The Bush administration proposes to let U.S. government agencies, such as the Transportation Department, decide on their own whether their activities will threaten endangered wildlife, rather than consulting with government scientists.
* MOUNTAINTOP COAL MINING: A new rule approved last week makes it easier for coal companies to dump debris from mountaintop mining into nearby valleys and streams. Environmentalists say this destroys mountain terrain and devastates downstream water quality.
* ENERGY EXPLOITATION ON PUBLIC LANDS: On Election Day on November 4, the Bush administration announced plans to open nearly 9 million acres (3.642 million hectares) in Utah to oil and gas drilling. Much of this area is adjacent to Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument. Environmental activists say migrating animals will encounter oil and gas rigs.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
