Trump Administration Attempts To Eliminate Habitat Protections for Endangered Species

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration announced that it has finalized a decision to eliminate long-standing regulatory language regarding habitat protections for endangered species in the U.S. The move comes after a proposed rulemaking and public comment period in which more than 150,000 Americans spoke out against the changes.

The decision rescinds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s and National Marine Fisheries Service’s definitions of what counts as “harm” to threatened and endangered wildlife under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). For decades, the agencies interpreted “harm” to include significant habitat modification that kills or injures members of ESA-listed species, such as by removing necessities such as food and shelter. 

That definition was an important tool for habitat conservation and was integral to the ESA’s role in preventing the extinction of more than 99 percent of species under its protection — including the bald eagle, Florida manatee, gray wolf, and many other iconic American wildlife. It had been in place for over 40 years and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995. 

In response to the news, Ben Greuel, Wildlife Campaign Manager at the Sierra Club, issued the following statement: 

“The Trump administration’s attempt to strip away long-standing habitat protections is a direct attack on the foundation of the Endangered Species Act. For more than four decades, the definition of ‘harm’ recognized a simple truth: if you destroy the places wildlife need to survive, you are putting species on a path to extinction. This rule ignores that reality in an unlawful attempt to open the door for corporate polluters to degrade vitally important habitats, wildlife be damned. The Endangered Species Act is a bedrock law that must be followed. The Sierra Club will continue to fight for these protections and defend our wildlife for future generations.”