Former paper lobbyist, now Agriculture Undersecretary (a position which oversees the U.S. Forest Service), Mark Rey, is under some serious fire from U.S. District Judge Donald W. Malloy in Missoula, Montana.

Mark Rey was given from February of 2006 until August 8, 2007 to complete a review of the toxicity and danger to the environment of chemicals used in a fire retardant, pursuant to a judgment on the lawsuit filed by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics in 2003, a year after 20,000 fish were killed.

However, just one day before the deadline, Mark Rey and the Forest Service did exactly what the judge told them not to do - asked for an extension at the last minute. Even the judge took note and didn't appreciate their "not too funny game".

Mark Rey, pictured on the right, has been up to these shady tactics for quite a while, basically since the day Bush hand-picked him to be the Agriculture Undersecretary. The entire Forest Service seems to be dragging its feet under the misguided hand of Mark Rey.

So what has he been so busy doing? Getting rid of regulations, of course. Oh yes, and trying to cover up all these shady tactics by announcing grants for biofuel projects and the like (video below, tip of the hat to PA Environment Digest Video Blog). Gee - this just sounds like three steps back to make one step forward.