Federal Judge Slams Bush Meddling, Upholds Dolphin-Safe Tuna Rules

[hatrack]

"A federal judge has rejected the Bush administration's attempt to relax the nation's "dolphin-safe'' tuna labeling standard in a scathing decision that accuses the administration of sacrificing science -- and dolphins -- for politics.

In 24 years on the bench, said U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco in a ruling made public Tuesday, he has never seen a record of action by a government agency that "contained such a compelling portrait of political meddling.''

Henderson said the Commerce Department disregarded its own scientists, who found that international tuna fleets were probably responsible for killing dolphins, and bowed to political pressure from the Mexican government and the U.S. State Department, both eager to change the labeling standard and clear the way for imports of Mexican tuna. The judge noted that Secretary of State Colin Powell intervened personally in December 2002, urging Commerce Secretary Donald Evans to change the labeling standard. Evans ordered the change four weeks later.

EDIT

On the last day of 2002, Evans declared there was no conclusive evidence that tuna boats were responsible for the failure of dolphin species to recover, and ordered a change in labeling standards. But Henderson blocked the change in April 2003 and ruled this week that the commerce secretary had abused his authority. "The record convincingly demonstrates that the secretary ... proceeded to sacrifice the integrity of the decision-making process by disregarding the best available scientific evidence in favor of political and diplomatic considerations,'' Henderson said."

EDIT



This is a brilliant, devastating article - LOVE IT!!

[mcgregor]

1. I see words

like could, maybe, reported bribery, etc. But according to this author, dolphin deaths have gone to, from just under 1,000,000 (100's of thousands) to 1,500. That is a dramatic drop, and yet the population has not increased (dont know what the proper population is for sure). I'm trying to figure out why saving in excess of 800,000 dolphins per year is not reflected in the populations now, 14 years later. (must be what 50 millions or so for this specific geography of the eastern Pacific?