A government agency has reversed seven rulings denying endangered species protection after a probe found evidence of political interference from a former senior Interior Department official. Julie MacDonald, a former a deputy assistant secretary overseeing the Fish and Wildlife Service, was found to have pressured agency scientists to alter their findings. MacDonald stepped down last May. In addition to pressuring scientists, she was also found to have leaked agency information to industry groups.
Endangered Species Rulings Reversed over Political Lobbying
HeadlineNov 29, 2007