Washington » President George W. Bush and his team have made last-ditch efforts to leave their mark on American policy before Bush cedes control of the federal government and takes that last flight from the White House lawn.

In a series of highly partisan and often-controversial decisions, the Bush administration has created new rules impacting abortion, oil drilling and the fragile economy.

Far from rare, these 11th hour regulations have become "a long-standing tradition," according to Allan Lichtman, a presidential expert at American University. He says every president wants "his final stamp on policy" and when the transition is between parties, the decisions normally take on a strong ideological bent.

Power plant emissions OK

The Bush administration issued a decision in mid-December saying there is no reason to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions of power plants -- a move that directly affects a proposed Utah coal-fired power plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency, in a memo, had granted a permit for a coal-fired plant on the Ute Indian Reservation in eastern Utah and then decided that approval was not subject to the impact of climate change from the plant's emissions. At least one U.S. senator has asked the Justice Department to step in and force the EPA to consider the federal Clean Air Act with regard to new coal-fired plants.

Bailout cash for loan to automakers

Amid criticism from his own Republican ranks, Bush moved in December to tap a Wall Street bailout fund to loan $17 billion to two troubled automakers. Utah car dealers, some of whom had lobbied Congress for the loans, cheered the move as a way to save millions of jobs, including thousands in the Beehive State.

"It's a shot in the arm to take us to the next level, and will help make us profitable in the future," said St. George car dealer Stephen Wade.

But Bush's move brought jeers from several conservatives who said he took a big swipe at free-market capitalism.

Oil and gas leases

A rushed sale of oil and gas leases near some of Utah's most iconic wilderness lands prompted an outpouring of criticism and even an act of civil disobedience. The Bureau of Land Management wanted to sell leases on 149,000 acres of land near Arches and Canyonlands National Park. The sale was announced on Election Day and took place the Friday before Christmas over the objections of environmental groups.

Obama transition team members have criticized the sale and hinted they may buy the leases back once he takes office.

On Saturday, a federal judge issued an injunction blocking the leases.

Tim DeChristopher, a University of Utah student, attempted to foil the sale. He bid on the leases, winning 13 parcels and driving up the price on others. Originally, he said he had no intention of paying, but recently he raised $45,000.

Guns in national parks

At the request of the National Rifle Association and Republican senators -- including Utah's Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett -- the Bush administration signed off on a new regulation allowing people to carry loaded, concealed guns in national parks.

The old rule, adopted under President Ronald Reagan, required people to stow their unloaded firearms before entering the parks, almost all of which ban hunting.

A number of National Park conservation and former ranger groups said the new rule will result in more poaching, while proponents like Utah's senators say the regulation will help people protect themselves.

The issue may ultimately be decided in court. Before the rule could go into effect, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence filed suit to block its implementation.

Reproductive health and conscience

Outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt sees it as an issue of conscience, while many abortion rights supporters see it as an outrage.

The new regulation, approved by Leavitt, former Utah governor, bolsters the right of health care workers to refuse to provide treatment or even a referral for something they morally object to, namely abortion.

Leavitt calls it the "provider conscience" rule, which highlights existing laws and creates new ways to investigate complaints and punish hospitals that don't allow doctors to refuse care. The rule, which sought to redefine abortion, stirred controversy when an early version was leaked. The final rule is more tempered but still causes plenty of anger. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it "a direct assault on women's health care."

Last-minute pardons

As is typical with outgoing presidents, Bush has handed out several pardons and commutations in recent months, including to a Utah man convicted of looting an archaeological site 16 years ago.

Bush, using his executive power, pardoned David Lane Woolsey, of St. George, of his felony under the 1979 U.S. Archeological Resources Protection Act. Woolsey and another man, who were photographed digging at a protected site, were the first to be prosecuted in Utah under the act.

Bush also commuted the sentence of a convicted drug dealer at the urging of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who said that although rapper John Forte was caught with two briefcases filled with $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine, he was a musical genius and no risk to society. Forte spent eight years in prison. Hatch defended that request despite criticism he had not reached out to help Utahn Weldon Angelos, who was sentenced to 55 years for selling pot while carrying a gun.