By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. conservation groups on Thursday hailed the imminent end of "environmental abuse and neglect" by the Bush administration and promised to work with President-elect Barack Obama to reverse this course. "The Bush administration has done a lot of damage to our nation's environmental protections over the last eight years," said Mike Daulton, the National Audubon Society's legislative director. "And nowhere is that more evident than the Bush administration's drilling policies, which have been slanted dramatically toward the oil industry." Daulton noted that President George W. Bush last summer withdrew an executive ban on offshore drilling, which he said eroded protections for U.S. beaches and coastal economies. Obama's election last week "defeated candidates who focused on a drill-everywhere policy and the inauguration will sweep two oilmen from the White House," Daulton said in a telephone briefing with other conservation leaders. "Eight dismal years of environmental abuse and neglect are now coming to an end," said Betsy Loyless, Audubon's senior vice president. IMMEDIATE ACTION Daulton said his environmental group and others would urge Obama and Congress to quickly fashion a clean energy package that cuts costs for consumers, reduces dependence on oil and does not rely on offshore drilling. The conservation leaders also stressed the need for immediate action to deal with the impact that global warming is having on natural resources. Robert Dewey of the Defenders of Wildlife suggested developing a national, cross-agency strategy to make climate change a top priority. It would include increased scientific capability and the dedication of federal funds to conservation measures. This money could come from a portion of revenues that would be generated from a federal program to cap and trade carbon emissions, Dewey said. Obama, who takes office on Jan. 20, has repeatedly said climate change is a key issue. But others in Congress and the environmental community doubt cap-and-trade legislation could be passed before 2010 at the earliest. Another high priority, said John Kostyack of the National Wildlife Federation, is to undo the Bush administration's erosion of protections under the Endangered Species Act. The Bush team has had "overt hostility" to this law, Kostyack said, so a first step for the new administration and Congress should be to restore the legal protections for wildlife under threat. Kostyack also noted a welter of last-minute regulations on the environment meant to extend Bush administration policies after Obama takes office. These should be reversed, he said. (Editing by Xavier Briand)
