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Rulemakings are latest in series of attacks on Endangered Species Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Conservation groups notified the Trump administration of their plans to challenge two rulemakings weakening the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that were finalized today.
One rule deprives newly listed threatened animal and plant species from automatically receiving protections from killing, trapping, and other forms of prohibited “take” under the ESA. Species the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists as threatened could now be left unprotected for years. This applies to species awaiting a “threatened” designation, including the Florida manatee, Pygmy rabbit, Aztec Gilia, and Clover’s Cactus.
The other rule gives outsize weight to “economic considerations” when the federal government decides whether to protect endangered species and critical habitat. Green sea turtles, Monarch butterflies, polar bears, sage-grouse, and Texas hornshells, and the ‘iʻiwi bird are among numerous animal and plant species across the U.S. that could be impacted.
