According to a new measure which the Bush administration wants to implement, the Endangered Species Act will soon become ineffective while federal agencies will decide on their own whether highways, dams, mines and other similar construction projects are harming the habitat of the endangered animals and plants or not.

The regulatory overhaul proposed yesterday by the administration doesn’t need the Congress’ approval. The measure would reduce the government scientists’ reviews which have been compulsory for the past 35 years, The Associated Press reported.

The new measure must be implemented in order to avoid the situation in which the Endangered Species Act is used as a "back door" to regulate the gases blamed for global warming, said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Monday. He labeled the proposed law as a "narrow regulatory change" that makes the consultation process under the Endangered Species Act clearer.

The current law requires agencies to subject any plans that may affect endangered animals and plants to a review by the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service. If the new proposed law passes, the agencies wouldn’t need the above-mentioned reviews. Thus, construction projects may move a lost faster if the agencies decide they do not pose a threat to endangered animals and plants.

The latest entry in the list of endangered species was the polar bear. The large animal which dominates the Arctic regions is directly threatened by the global warming process which melts the sea ice - the polar bear’s natural habitat. The loss of the sea ice would make it almost impossible for polar bears not to die from starvation.

However, the Democrats and environmental groups reacted swiftly. Some of them said that President Bush’s new law is illegal, while environmentalist group leaders said the measure would eliminate protections for endangered animals and plants.

Interior Department, Rep. Nick Rahall, complained that the proposed law would give federal agencies what he called “an unacceptable degree of discretion” when it comes to deciding whether or not to meet the terms of the Endangered Species Act.