In April 2004 President Bush appeared at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples, Florida. He was there to claim a solid record on environmental issues. In fact, Bush vowed to add three million acres of protected wetlands over the next five years.

But the administrative record shows that the Bush initiative is pure rhetoric. The fact is that every year under the Bush administration many thousands of acres of wetlands have been lost to development.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency follow policies set by the president. These two government agencies have jurisdiction over wetlands protection, but rarely step in to stop developers destroying these critical nesting areas. This is particularly true for so-called isolated wetlands, areas of water that are not connected at ground level to rivers, streams, or the coastline.

 

FLORIDA'S EVERGLADES are home to the nation's largest concentration of wading birds. Due to agricultural pollution and mining activities consistently protected by George W. Bush, the breeding and nesting habitats of these wading birds are seriously threatened. Approximately 50 percent of the original wetlands has been destroyed. Wading bird populations are now down by 90 percent.

Supporting the further degradation of the Everglades, the Bush administration has waged a comprehensive assault on the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.