US environmentalists have accused President George W Bush of trying to rush through changes to the Endangered Species Act in his last days in office.
They say the changes could take away protection for animals and plants facing possible extinction.
The Bush administration wants to make it easier for drilling, mining and major construction projects to go ahead without a full scientific assessment.
Under current rules, the impact of such projects must be assessed by experts.
The changes proposed by the Bush administration would let federal agencies make the decisions without a full scientific assessment as to the likely impact on the environment.
Republican supporters of the changes, along with developers and some federal agencies, argue that the current system of environmental reviews causes delays to projects, pushing up costs.
The White House denies that the late spate of rule changes is politically motivated.
They say the changes could take away protection for animals and plants facing possible extinction.
The Bush administration wants to make it easier for drilling, mining and major construction projects to go ahead without a full scientific assessment.
Under current rules, the impact of such projects must be assessed by experts.
The changes proposed by the Bush administration would let federal agencies make the decisions without a full scientific assessment as to the likely impact on the environment.
Republican supporters of the changes, along with developers and some federal agencies, argue that the current system of environmental reviews causes delays to projects, pushing up costs.
The White House denies that the late spate of rule changes is politically motivated.
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