That's right folks. For only the 12th time in its entire history, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to use the veto process to kill an Army Corps of Engineers project. Dead in the water is the Yazoo Pumps, a project that would damage 200,000 acres of wetlands, destroy the best hunting and fishing habitat in the Mississippi River Flyway and cost taxpayers more than $210 million.

According to the EPA's letter to the Army Corps...

"...the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is initiating review, under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act, of the proposed Yazoo Backwater Area Project in the Yazoo River Basin in Mississippi. EPA is taking this step because we have reason to believe that the recommended project plan could result in unacceptable adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem, particularly to fish and wildlife resources." Download the EPA's letter (pdf)

Hats off to the EPA for taking a stand against this wasteful project!

"A Green Day for Bush"
By Michael Grunwald, TIME Magazine

"On the unexpected-meter, it probably falls somewhere between Man Bites Dog and Trump Declines Comment. But on Friday, the Bush administration did something excellent for the environment.

"In a letter obtained by TIME, Bush's Environmental Protection Agency moved to block a $220 million Army Corps of Engineers flood-control project in the Mississippi Delta, laying the groundwork for the first EPA veto of an Army Corps project since 1990."

Read the entire article...

This project--often called "the monster that just won't die"--still needs a few more stabs to the heart. The complete veto process could take a few more months. Stand strong EPA!