Tempers are escalating in the longstanding battle between Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., and environmental groups - this time over content on a taxpayer-funded web site. The congressman, who was recently named "Wildlife Villain of the Year" by Defenders of Wildlife [1], chairs the House Resources Committee and is known for his staunchly anti-conservation views. He's best known for efforts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and other cornerstone environmental legislation.

But lately environmentalists are up in arms over the Resources Committee's web site [2], financed by taxpayer dollars, which includes what enviros call "propaganda" and straight-out lies about environmental policies, impacts, and legislation. On the ESA homepage [3] section of Pombo's site, a huge banner declares, "The Senate must pass ESA reform." Environmentalists say the reforms Pombo is pushing would severely weaken the act.

In an article [4] in the Contra Costa Times, environmentalists and Pombo's camp took potshots at one another. The enviros claim Pombo shouldn't be using taxpayer money to spread his claims about the environment and environmentalists themselves. (According to the article, Pombo specifically portrays enviros as "'big-business' money grubbers" - he also accuses them [5] of "misinformation" - and lists the salaries of the big groups' leaders. He does not, however, as the newspaper points out, mention any of the salaries of oil company executives, which are orders of magnitude greater.)

Conservation groups are backing Pombo's rivals for his House seat this fall; the primary is June 6. Defenders of Wildlife launched a web site, Pombo's in Their Pocket [6], to counter Pombo's claims and detail his involvement with industry groups.

Image credit: House Resources Committee [7]