BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration took significant steps on Wednesday to roll back protections for endangered species and their habitats, echoing a series of proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations during the Republican's first term that were previously blocked under President Biden.
Among these changes is the removal of the Fish and Wildlife Service's blanket rule, which provided automatic protections to animals and plants classified as threatened. Now, government agencies will need to create specific protections for each species, a process that could be lengthy and complex.
Environmental groups have raised alarms that these changes might delay critical conservation efforts for species such as the monarch butterfly, Florida manatee, California spotted owl, and North American wolverine. We would have to wait until these poor animals are almost extinct before we can start protecting them. That’s absurd and heartbreaking, remarked Stephanie Kurose from the Center for Biological Diversity.
The proposed rollbacks occur against the backdrop of increased global extinction rates resulting from habitat destruction and other pressures. Past attempts during Trump's second term sought to redefine the term harm within the ESA, possibly allowing exceptions for activities like logging in national forests and public lands.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum contended that the propose amendments aim to restore the intent of the ESA while also considering the livelihoods of those relying on land and resources.
These changes align with longstanding demands from Republican lawmakers and industries such as oil and gas, mining, and agriculture, who argue the ESA has been applied too broadly, hindering economic growth. Burgum stated, These revisions end years of legal confusion and regulatory overreach, delivering certainty to states, tribes, landowners, and businesses while ensuring conservation efforts remain grounded in sound science and common sense.
Another notable change suggested on Wednesday requires officials to consider potential economic effects when designating habitats critical to species survival. Opponents are concerned that this focus may overshadow the immediate needs of species conservation.
Critics of the previous blanket protection rule, like Jonathan Wood from the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), characterized Wednesday's proposal as a necessary correction to prior actions taken under the Biden administration. This reform acknowledges the blanket rule’s unlawfulness and puts recovery back at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, Wood stated.
