Can the US President reverse more than 30 years of environmental regulations in the United States?

   That is a question many conservation groups are asking as the Bush administration passed its 100-day mark in office.

   Many of the country's major environmental regulations — the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act — could disappear without continued congressional action, conservation groups warn.

   Since Bush took over as president, the environmental community says he has strategically rolled back an alarming number of laws that protect the the environment.

   "The Bush White House is becoming the most environmentally hostile in history," said Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters. "When analyzed in its totality, President Bush's environmental record represents a backward step in American public policy and a cynical reminder of the powerful influence of big money and special interests in the process."

   The growing list of environmental concerns includes Bush's withdrawal of U.S. support for the Kyoto global warming treaty, a proposal to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and retractions on several environmental policies that were passed in the final days of the Clinton administration.

   Reversals that have generated the greatest outcry are Bush's suspension of rules approved by former President Bill Clinton to cut arsenic in water and protect roadless areas in national forests.

   The White House argues that many of its early moves on the environment are attempts to slow down slapdash actions taken in the final days of the Clinton administration.

   Environmentalists maintain that many of Clinton's final actions stemmed from years of public consideration. For example, Clinton's roadless areas rule is the result of 600 public hearings and 1.6 million public comments.

   While Bush has supported a number of Clinton administration plans in recent weeks, environmentalists say those decisions are far outweighed by other actions taken against environmental measures.

   "To add insult to injury, the White House recently chose not to roll back other environmental protections passed during the Clinton administration, as if that is the same thing as environmental progress," said Bill Meadows, president of the Wilderness Society.

   According to a recent Gallup poll, about 48 percent of the American public disagreed with Bush’s decision not to support the Kyoto Protocol; 56 percent were opposed to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and 81 percent supported tighter pollution standards for business and industry.

   While Bush barely mentioned the environment in his campaign, the environment is clearly an area where he may have the most impact.

   "In the past, the environment may not have been as strong in elections because people took it for granted," Callahan said. "Trouble is on the horizon for the Bush administration. We have had more phone calls than ever before since Bush entered office. Not only do we have more members but more people are calling and saying 'What can I do?'"

   According to Callahan, Bush's recent political calculations are certain to backfire in Congress and with the American public.

   "The price Bush pays for his anti-environmental assaults during these first 100 days may well be his party's control of Congress in 2002," she said.