Unsettling

The Bush administration is asking a federal judge to put the kibosh on a settlement that it reached 19 months ago with environmental groups to protect endangered manatees off the coast of Florida. The feds last year agreed to tighten procedures for issuing permits for waterfront development plans that might affect manatee habitat; they also said they would create manatee refuges where boating would be limited or prohibited. Enviros, in turn, agreed to stop pushing for a moratorium on all waterfront development in 32 Florida counties. Now, the feds say they goofed, failing to go through the proper regulatory hoops and acting too hastily in signing the agreement. Eric Glitzenstein, an attorney for the environmental groups involved, criticized the Bush administration move as "ridiculous."