George W Bush

Announces $101.8 Million in New State Funding for Stem Cell Research

March 9, 2009 -- “Today, President Obama demonstrated admirable leadership in reversing a Bush administration initiative that for years has placed limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

"The President’s Executive Order will expand opportunities for medical researchers to study new treatments and potentially find cures for some of the most debilitating and life-threatening conditions, including spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and juvenile diabetes.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm issued the following statement on President's Obama's announcement on federal funding for stem cell research :

"I applaud President Obama for lifting the restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research. Last fall, Michigan citizens voted to lift state restrictions, because they believe stem cell research has the potential to save lives and prevent disease.

"Today's announcement is particularly important to the University of Michigan, a world leader in adult stem cell research, which announced it is launching a major new embryonic stem cell initiative in its effort to find cures for spinal cord injuries and diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes, and even some forms of cancer."    » read more »

03/09/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s executive order that rolls back restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research:    » read more »

Bush Administration Rule Leads to Wolves Removal from Endangered Species List

CHICAGO (March 6, 2009) – The Secretary of the Interior announced today that he will remove the gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species List in Montana and Idaho, as well as the western Great Lakes region. Wolves in the state of Wyoming will remain under Endangered Species Act protection due to federal concern over the inadequacy of the state’s management plan.

The State of Idaho recently proposed killing 200 wolves within their borders.

Following are comments from Andrew Wetzler, Director of NRDC’s Endangered Species Project:    » read more »

March 6, 2009 -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauds the Obama administration for proposing a rule to rescind a Bush midnight regulation that undermines the country’s ailing health care system as well as patients’ access to health care information and services.    » read more »

Reverses Bush Administration Rule on Solid Waste

WASHINGTON (March 5, 2009) -- A bill introduced yesterday would reverse a Bush administration regulation that re-classified a host of solid waste materials, including mining wastes, as “fill.” This authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to permit those wastes to be dumped in waterways around the country. Joined by 114 members in the House of Representatives, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), David Reichert (R-Wash.), and John Yarmuth (D-KY) introduced the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 1310), a bill that would prevent the use of streams, lakes, and ponds as solid waste dumps.    » read more »

March 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment aimed at keeping Bush-era endangered species regulations on the books.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would give the Obama administration 60 days to withdraw endangered species regulations pushed through by the Bush administration in its last days in office. On Tuesday, President Obama announced he would restore the protections that the Bush rules sought to remove.    » read more »

President Obama Should Reverse Bush Policy on European Deployment

March 4, 2009 -- President Obama is reconsidering the Bush administration's decision to deploy an untested missile defense system in Europe, indicating that he is taking a more realistic, technically grounded approach to missile defense. Given Russia's strong negative reaction to the planned deployment, experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) say it makes sense to reconsider this policy on strategic as well as technical grounds. They say U.S. security would be undermined by deploying an ineffective missile defense system that impedes U.S.-Russian nuclear weapons reductions and collaboration on key security issues.    » read more »

March 3, 2009 -- Washington, DC – President Obama today directed federal agencies to once again consult with independent scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species. This action will limit the damage caused by the midnight Endangered Species Act regulations put in place by the Bush Administration in December 2008.

John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming at the National Wildlife Federation, said:    » read more »

Statement by Francesca Grifo, Union Of Concerned Scientists

WASHINGTON (March 3, 2009) – Today President Obama announced that his administration is overturning a Bush administration rule that allowed federal agencies to initiate projects, such as roads or dams, without consulting with Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service scientists about the threats the projects might pose to endangered species.

Below is a statement by Francesca Grifo, director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS):    » read more »

March 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions.

"Americans deserve a government that operates with transparency and openness," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "It is my goal to make OLC opinions available when possible while still protecting national security information and ensuring robust internal executive branch debate and decision-making."    » read more »

Obama Administration Takes First Step To Repeal Rule That Limits The Rights Of Patients To Receive Complete And Accurate Health Information And Services

Feb. 27, 2009 -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauds the Obama administration for taking the first step in rescinding a midnight regulation that undermines the country’s fragile health care system as well as patients’ access to health care information and services.    » read more »

February 25, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced he will toss out Bush administration midnight regulations designed to rush oil shale development in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Salazar said the oil shale leasing proposal issued by the Bush administration in January was flawed and that royalties to be paid by the oil industry were too low. The Department of Interior will now open a 90-day comment period allowing the public to weigh in on what oil shale research and development leases should contain.

Producing a liquid fuel from oil shale entails heating solid rock to temperatures in excess of 600°F. The large amounts of energy needed to heat and process oil shale would increase the global warming emissions that contribute to climate change.    » read more »

Following New Administration’s Request, U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case

WASHINGTON (February 23, 2009) -- The United States Supreme Court this morning declined to consider a Bush-era rule that would have allowed a cap-and-trade approach to toxic mercury emitted by the U.S. power industry. This decision invalidates the Bush rule and sets a new course that will help protect America’s waterways from toxic mercury pollution.    » read more »

February 18, 2009 -- The swift action by the Obama Administration today to address the housing crisis is a welcome and refreshing change.

For more than a year, the Bush Administration ignored calls from the AFL-CIO and others to address a coming foreclosure tsunami. Tragically, in the months that followed, the deepening housing debacle turned millions of families’ lives upside down and strengthened its chokehold on our economy.

The Obama plan is designed to help up to nine million homeowners. The strong plan from the Administration correctly includes changing the bankruptcy laws to allow judges to modify the mortgages of distressed homeowners, including reducing the principal of these loans to the property's current market value.    » read more »