20 U.S. states have spoken out against Trump's rollback of environmental regulations
Twenty U.S. states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration over new rules that reduce federal protections for endangered animals and plants. The changes pertain to the Endangered Species Act—one of the United States’ key environmental protection laws, passed by Congress in 1973.
One of the lawsuits challenges the new definition of “harm.” Previously, this term encompassed not only the direct killing or injury of animals but also the destruction or significant disruption of their habitats.
The Trump administration has narrowed this interpretation. From now on, oil drilling, mineral extraction, and other economic activities in the habitats of protected species may be permitted as long as they do not directly kill or injure animals. Many conservation organizations consider the loss of natural habitats to be one of the main causes of species extinction.
The second lawsuit concerns two additional regulations. One of them eliminates automatic, broad protections for species that have just been designated as threatened. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must establish separate regulations for each such species.
The other change requires federal authorities to consider objections from developers, oil and gas companies, and other business representatives before designating a specific area as a “critical habitat.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James reported that attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia have joined one or both of the lawsuits.
It is worth noting that, for more than half a century, the Endangered Species Act has served as the foundation for the recovery of populations of numerous animals that were on the brink of extinction. Among them are the California condor, the grizzly bear, the humpback whale, and the bald eagle, which is one of the national symbols of the United States.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also claimed that the Endangered Species Act had been “used as a weapon” for years to block various projects. According to him, this has undermined the country’s competitiveness, harmed national security, and increased costs for Americans. The administration insists that the new rules merely restore the law to its original intent.
Source: Reuters.
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