Reluctant guardian

The US Department of the Interior last week agreed to speed the process of
protecting 29 critically endangered species. The list includes the pygmy rabbit,
the smallest in North America—only 50 remain in Washington state. The
Center for Biological Diversity and two other conservation groups threatened
lawsuits if the department didn’t protect the species under the Endangered
Species Act. But critics say the deal doesn’t address the underlying problem.
Michael Senatore of the campaign group Defenders of Wildlife says insufficient
funding has left a huge backlog of endangered species waiting to be assessed.