Lawsuit Filed Against Bush Administration

Environmental groups sued the Bush administration today – alleging it is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to list rare species in California, Idaho and New Mexico.

The suit filed in Portland, Oregon, federal court says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service´s inaction endangers the Tahoe yellow cress, sand dune lizard, and southern Idaho ground squirrel. The environmental groups also allege the service is trying to sidestep the law by including the three species as candidates for federal protection – a designation that can stall further consideration for a decade.

The service says it lacks the money to study all the potentially threatened or endangered species – in part because its work load is driven by lawsuits driven by environmental groups.