Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Hurricane Protection

When it comes to hurricanes and people, Bush (hswib)sides with the hurricanes.
"The Gulf Coast wetlands form a 'natural buffer that helps protect New Orleans from storms,' slowing hurricanes down as they approach from sea. When he came into office, President Bush pledged to uphold the 'no net loss' wetland policy his father initiated. He didn't keep his word. Bush rolled back tough wetland policies set by the Clinton administration, ordering federal agencies 'to stop protecting as many as 20 million acres of wetlands and an untold number of waterways nationwide.' Last year, four environmental groups issued a joint report showing that administration policies had allowed 'developers to drain thousands of acres of wetlands.' The result? New Orleans may be in even greater danger: 'Studies show that if the wetlands keep vanishing over the next few decades, then you won't need a giant storm to devastate New Orleans -- a much weaker, more common kind of hurricane could destroy the city too.' "

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