Conservation Con Game

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Although their city hosted last month's White House conference on "cooperative conservation," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch isn't impressed. In an editorial, the newspaper wrote, "The most concrete example" of the Bush administration's new environmental philosophy "appeared in Congress this week in a bill that would revise the landmark Endangered Species Act." The bill, sponsored by Rep. Richard Pombo, "would make it more difficult to provide federal protection for land critical to the health of endangered species. It would also impose an unrealistically quick 90-day limit for the government to object to development plans. And it requires the government to pay 'fair market value' for critical habitat if it steps in and blocks development on environmental grounds." The editorial continues, "Like Pombo's new bill, the conference was perfect for those who believe the only thing wrong with nature is the people trying to protect it."