Bush Does Something Good For The Environment

President bush is expected to announce the creation of the world largest marine protection area. 84 million acres of ocean located at some Hawaiian Island will be the home of this area. It is the home to over 7,000 wildlife/bird life. It will be the largest of all marine protected areas. Environmentalist were very pleased with the action, and saying this is one of the best actionsd bush has ever done for the environment. Overall everyone seems very pleased



With all the recent negativity on this site, I felt it was necessary to show some of the plus sides. Though I personally feel this action from bush is to up his very low approval ratings, it is none the less good. If bush is after raising approval ratings, hes definately hit a spot for certain groups.

If his actions to get the approval rating up benefit the environment well then we need more presidents with lower approval ratings.

anybody else happy that the marine life is finally getting a break from all people, bush. I wish all presidents had low approval ratings, maybe some good would actually come to this country then.

I am very happy to see that you've found something about this presidency that can be looked at positively. This just proves that we and the fish can exist in harmony. I for one see this as one of the things president Bush has actually done that he promised from the get-go.

Call me cynical, but this seems more of a Greenwashing attempt for improving Public Relations. I am happy at the result, but I still wonder what Bush has hidden in his back pocket...

[edit on 15-6-2006 by sardion2000]

Well Im pretty positive hes in a run for approval ratings if you look at the news lately. But hey Im glad something positive came out of it.

Originally posted by sardion2000
Call me cynical, but this seems more of a Greenwashing attempt for improving Public Relations.

Bingo, kind of too littler too late after his anti enviromental record, how come Alaska is not part of it, or the Gulf of Mexico perhaps is because it depends what is at stakes in the generosity of our Administration and the interest groups that is trying to satisfy.

Hat's off to Bush again. He's having a very Awesome June, isn't he?
It's a very positive step, a very important ecosytem there.
It's also good for business.

I would love to hear Him pronounce Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. (its a triggerfish)

Just out of curiosity, what else has he done this June that was so great? More Green/White washing? Or is this a Presidential Legacy type of thing, trying to balance out past "failures?"

This is why I say he is having a good month.


No Rove indictment.
Nailed Zarqawi
More attention towards the problem of Illegal aliens.
Environmental protection zone in Hawaii.

Is he feeling well? check his temp. see if he has a fever.

Just seen this on the news. While I'm confused (and sceptical) about his motives it IS a very positive move.

Cynically I'd say he's 100% there's no oil in this area or those fish would be (on) toast.

In all honestly I don't truely care if it's just a grab for better aproval ratings. I'll say that it's good that Bush finally did something right. Overall I'm actually going to say this is his second best decision ever, right next to removing the Taliban from power in Afganistan.

Originally posted by spacedoubt
This is why I say he is having a good month.


No Rove indictment.
Nailed Zarqawi
More attention towards the problem of Illegal aliens.
Environmental protection zone in Hawaii.

Now I even distrust his motives even more, but I still give it the for the effort. That and his backhanded admission to Anthropogenic Global Warming recently really seem like he's paying back favors to another country. I wunder what country that could be?

In my mind, anything that improves or protects the environment is a good thing. More needs to be done, of course, but something is better than nothing. I'm (or I try to be) mature enough to compartmentalize the positives in this announcement from any criticisms I have of the administration's policies (which are, ultimately, criticisms of the system that gave rise to it more than anything else, because what’s happening isn’t all because of any single individual, however much I may disagree with that individual – it doesn’t make it right or okay in my mind, but it does preclude me from judging, and prevents diminishment of this new silver lining in the clouds.)

Originally posted by grimreaper797
...this is one of the best actions bush has ever done for the environment...

Considering his track record, that would not be so difficult for him to achieve.

My experience is that a leopard does not change its spots, and the cynic in me feels certain this is another bait-and-switch ruse.

Since this is a conspiracy site, let me share the possible conspiracy:

President Bush exercised his power under the American Antiquities Act of 1906. It states in relevant part:

That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments...

As grimreaper797's article identifies, the newly designated "national monument" will cover more than 84 million acres. This is an area approximately the size of California, and represents the largest such designation in US history!

Here is a really good map of the location:



If you read the many articles written in the past two days on the subject, you will notice that the move to designate the area a national monument represented a complete surprise to nearly everyone...

For example,

Bush's decision, announced late Wednesday, caught environmentalists and commercial fishing interests by surprise.

Source.

Why was this such a surprise? For starters, less than a month ago, state and federal officials...signed an agreement to help them jointly manage the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, adding momentum to the creation of a marine sanctuary in the 1,400-mile long archipelago.

David Allen, Pacific regional director for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said much of how the various agencies work together will be focused on fulfilling the vision of the sanctuary.

"We don't want the public to see us as four different agencies. We want the public to see us working very closely together," Allen said.

Young and Allen signed the document for their departments. Representatives for the National Marine Sanctuary Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service signed for their respective federal agencies.

Source.

So, the plan was to have general agreement between each of the state and federal agencies who had an existing responsibility and authority over the area for the creation of a marine sanctuary. Moreover, as the same article indicates, "creating a national marine sanctuary would grant the federal government greater powers to protect the area."

The article continues:

One key reason to grant sanctuary status to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands would be to lend permanence to the area's protection measures.

The federal waters around the islands are currently designated a coral reef ecosystem reserve, but that status does not come with permanent funding.
Future presidents may also change or revoke the status after taking office.

See, also, Memorandum of Agreement between the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service and National Marine Fisheries Service for promoting coordinated management in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands - signed 5/19/06

It is important to note that a national "sanctuary" and national "monument" are indeed two very different designations.

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act:

...authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate and manage areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational, or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries. Day-to-day management of national marine sanctuaries has been delegated by the Secretary of Commerce to the National Marine Sanctuary Program. The primary objective of the NMSA is to protect marine resources...

Source.

The legislation specifically provides:

1. If the Secretary finds a federal action is likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a sanctuary resource, the NMSP is required to recommend reasonable and prudent alternatives that will protect sanctuary resources if implemented by the agency in taking the action. [See section 304(d) of the NMSA.]

2. The NMSA also allows the Secretary to issue regulations for each sanctuary designated and the system as a whole that, among other things, specify the types of activities that can and cannot occur within the sanctuary. [See section 308 of the NMSA.]

3. The NMSA requires the preparation and periodic updating of management plans that guide day-to-day activities at each sanctuary in furtherance of the goals of that sanctuary. [See sections 304(a) and 304(e) of the NMSA.]

4. The NMSA also provides for the assessment of civil penalties up to $120,000 per day per violation and the assessment of damages against people that injure sanctuary resources. [See sections 306, 307, and 312 of the NMSA.]

Source.

By utilizing the American Antiquities Act, as opposed to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, President Bush gets to avoid the sticky problem of actually protecting the natural resources the law requires. Instead, the rules become completely administrative in nature and can be whatever the administration wants.

A novel approach, wouldn't you agree?

Ironically, the National Park Service publishes on their website an interesting overview of the American Antiquities Act:

The objective of this essay, however, is to review the president's power in park-making through use of the Antiquities Act. By law, of course, Congress creates national parks. However, when Congress was tight-fisted, belligerent, or, more likely, lethargic, park proponents pulled the rabbit of the Antiquities Act out of the hat. Quite simply, under this 1906 act the president could set aside, by executive decree, areas as national monuments. Throughout the twentieth century zealous park proponents, as well as the National Park Service itself, were quite willing to circumvent the powers of Congress by appealing directly to the chief executive. Later, when the time became more propitious, the monument would be "upgraded" to a national park.

National Monuments to National Parks: The Use of the Antiquities Act of 1906

(EDIT: Interesting error with this link. The URL is not accepted from ATS. Here is the Google chache version: Here.

Of course, the article implies (and not without historical justification) that the use of the American Antiquities Act was a way of getting things protected without the politics of Congress standing in the way. What it fails to mention, however, is the other edge of that sword... The Executive gets to fully call the shots.

I propose THAT is what has happened here. As a national monument, any protections identified by the Executive can be changed at will.

But I don't think the conspiracy stops there. If Bush wants TOTAL executive federal control over the area, there must be some reason for it.

...Within the boundaries of the monument, we will prohibit unauthorized passage of ships; we will prohibit unauthorized recreational or commercial activity; we will prohibit any resource extraction or dumping of waste, and over a five-year period, we will phase out commercial fishing, as well...

Remarks by President Bush on the Establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument

Anybody smell a rat? I do.

Something's up...

Usually, if something is too good to be true, it ain't...

Hope I'm wrong.


[edit on 16-6-2006 by loam]

Please. This was a PR move, designed to up his poll numbers?

Decisions like this are years in the making, starting with the original idea thru all the eco studies and ensuing paperwork.

Yeah, he timed it to happen in June, 2006.

You have voted loam for the Way Above Top Secret award.

Those 7,000 species are as good as dead in 50 years as Bush's pro-global warming policy causes the tides to rise and make it vanish. He'll be too old or too cold to care won't he.

I can't believe the people on this site are spouting the "He got Zarqawi" crap.
Where were you idiots a few weeks back when it was leaked from the pentagon
that Zarqawi was a propaganda tool used against the American people by
its own government to foster the war on terror?
Magically a few weeks after that is leaked the guy ends up dead, again.
How many times has he died?
Where are all the bio-chem weapons he was supposed to be making?
Never found and never used, like freaking magic pixie dust.

Along with "he got Zarqawi" where is the clapping of hands
and dancing for "and he sure killed that 8 year old girl good and dead, yeehaa!"

"Duhhuh he removed the Taliban from Afghanistan duh huh"--We are STILL fighting
the Taliban in Afghanistan! And since the Taliban was ousted Afghanistan has
gone from the Rank of 16 to number One Opium producer.. Yay Bush! Each Afghan harvest equals three years worldwide supply, or lots of money for all the wrong people.
Heroin in America has gone from 30% purity to 98% purity.

Some of you must be taking it with your kool-aid.

I would love to hear Him pronounce Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. (its a triggerfish)

I'd love to hear him pronounce "Humma Kavula"

Originally posted by marg6043

Originally posted by sardion2000
Call me cynical, but this seems more of a Greenwashing attempt for improving Public Relations.

Bingo, kind of too littler too late after his anti enviromental record, how come Alaska is not part of it, or the Gulf of Mexico perhaps is because it depends what is at stakes in the generosity of our Administration and the interest groups that is trying to satisfy.

Yeah because after all we are already allwoing Castro and Hu Jintao to drill for oil off the coast of the florida where we aren't allowed to, lets make sure we don't allow America to access any of its own energy deposits
WHo cares if the working poor can afford gas, as long as the fishies are OK.

Originally posted by Legalizer
Those 7,000 species are as good as dead in 50 years as Bush's pro-global warming policy causes the tides to rise and make it vanish. He'll be too old or too cold to care won't he.

So Bush caused global warming. Riiight...

I can't believe the people on this site are spouting the "He got Zarqawi" crap.

We're happy he's gone. Aren't you?

Where were you idiots a few weeks back when it was leaked from the pentagon
that Zarqawi was a propaganda tool used against the American people by
its own government to foster the war on terror?

Sitting right here. As I said back then, the Pentagon used that to swell his head to the point where he got brash and leaked his whereabouts.

It worked, didn't it?:

Where are all the bio-chem weapons he was supposed to be making?

I never heard about that claim. Unless you're talking about the ricin camps in northeast Iraq, which many here refuse to acknowledge.

Along with "he got Zarqawi" where is the clapping of hands
and dancing for "and he sure killed that 8 year old girl good and dead, yeehaa!"

Do you mean one of the children that those cowards use for human shields?

"Duhhuh he removed the Taliban from Afghanistan duh huh"--We are STILL fighting
the Taliban in Afghanistan!

Gee, I thought that after they took down all the Taliban signs and posters, the problem would go away. Are you telling me that that didn't do the trick??