Endangered Species Rollback

The Trump administration is easing habitat protections for endangered species.

Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife

‘Death sentence’: Trump’s EPA to open habitats of endangered species to logging and mining

Trump administration opens endangered species’ habitats to development, reversing 50 years of environmental law | CNN

Summary

A neutral summary of the key facts most outlets agree on, drawn from reporting across the political spectrum.

The Interior and Commerce departments finalized a rule Friday narrowing how federal agencies interpret “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, removing regulatory language that since 1981 covered habitat modification that kills or injures protected wildlife. The change limits ESA “take” enforcement tied to land and water use in occupied habitat, affecting reviews of drilling, mining, logging, farming, infrastructure and real estate projects. Officials said the prior standard had been used to block development and private land use; environmental groups said the rule weakens habitat protections for listed species.

The Coverage

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What the analysis & opinion pieces argue

Habitat Protections Gutted

The Trump administration’s narrowed reading of the Endangered Species Act strips critical habitat protections for endangered wildlife. That rollback clears the way for drilling, logging, mining, and other development in protected areas, putting imperiled species at grave risk.