Many of the last-minute Bush rules are already in effect (Photo courtesy of the Obama transition team)
The Obama administration would like to stop some new Bush regulations from going into effect. Lester Graham reports some can be stopped, but many more cannot:
Transcript
The Obama administration would like to stop some new Bush regulations from going into effect. Lester Graham reports some can be stopped, but many more cannot:
A memo from Obama’s chief of staff stopped several rules.
But, a lot more of these last-minute Bush rules are already in effect.
Patti Goldman is with the environmental group Earthjustice. She says the Obama team can avoid enforcing the new rules if the new administration thinks they’re not lawful.
“That they are legally doubtful. That’s the language. And that in court the may need to confess error rather than defend the rule.”
But many of the rules passed by the Bush White House are legally solid, and Goldman says there’s not a thing the Obama administration can do about that.
“Because we live in a country that has the rule of law you can’t just undo everything as soon as there’s a change of administration.”
But groups such as Goldman’s can challenge them in court. And they are.
For The Environment Report, I’m Lester Graham.