One environmental order by the Clinton administration is likely to go unchallenged by the Bush administration: The decision last fall by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service not to add any more animals or plants to the endangered species list until at least the end of this year. The agency said that it had to make the move because of a budget crisis and that fighting off lawsuits by environmentalists was contributing to the monetary shortfall. The moved infuriated enviros, but their complaints are likely to fall on deaf ears in the current administration. Jasper Carlton of the Biodiversity Legal Foundation says his conservative estimate is that 6,000 species warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, 4,500 more than are currently on the list.
