Say what?

After eight years of environmental degradation and months of last-minute measures to weaken protections for endangered species, President Bush did something good for the environment.

He decided to make national monuments of three island chains in the Pacific Ocean. The move is considered the largest marine conservation undertaking in the world, according to Dana Perino, the White House press secretary.

Protected under the 1906 Antiquities Act, the monuments encompass nearly 200,000 square miles and include part of the Mariana Trench, Rose Atoll and seven islands elsewhere in the Pacific.

“The president’s actions will prevent the destruction and extraction of natural resources from these beautiful and biologically diverse areas …. And the public and future generations will benefit from the science and knowledge gained from these areas,” Perino said.