Bush orders weaker ozone rules

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- The Environmental Protection Agency reportedly will weaken new rules on ozone limits on wildlife, parks and farmland at U.S. President George Bush's behest.

EPA documents show officials originally sought to set a lower seasonal limit in an effort to strengthen protection but the president called for an increased ceiling instead.

The president's order was branded "an unlawful act of political interference" by John Walke, clean-air director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Washington Post said.

Administration lawyers set about drawing up what was said to be new legal justifications for the weakened standard after Solicitor General Paul Clement warned of contradictions with earlier EPA reports to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The dispute involved the public welfare standard, one of two parts of the EPA's ozone restrictions, designed to protect against long-term damage. The other deals with possible short-term harm.