Bush Halts Protection Order for Habitat of Endangered Sheep

President Bush has signed an executive order halting a decision to list 844,897 acres between the Coachella Valley and Mexico as critical habitat for peninsular bighorn sheep.

“Bush’s executive order is just the first example of what is likely to be a four-year Armageddon for endangered species in wild land areas,” said David Hogan, of the Tucson, Ariz.-based Center for Biological Diversity.

It was a lawsuit filed by the center that forced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for the endangered bighorn. Critical-habitat designation would give the species added protection from development.

Fish and Wildlife Service staff members completed a critical-habitat document to be listed on the Federal Register last Tuesday, spokeswoman Jane Hendron said.

Without intervention by Bush, that document likely would have been posted on the Federal Register on Monday or Tuesday, making it law.

But Bush, apparently wanting to review many last-minute regulations approved by outgoing President Bill Clinton, ordered a delay in all regulations proposed for listing on the Federal Register. The Bush team will review the proposals.

“It’s not final until it’s published in the Federal Register,” Hendron said. “We’re waiting until we receive further guidance.”

An executive summary shows that the size of the critical-habitat proposal dropped from 876,000 acres in a draft to 844,897 acres in the final version.

Hogan said the critical habitat designation would make it harder for developers to build projects in sheep habitat.