endangered-species

January 14, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today six environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s rule that removed Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower-48 states except for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. The U.S.

January 11, 2021

The Trump administration has proposed yet another rollback to the Endangered Species Act during the last days of the administration. The rollback comes on the heels of actions in recent weeks stripping protections from gray wolves and migratory birds, and gutting critical habitat protections for endangered and threatened species.

January 5, 2021

In the midst of the first human-driven mass extinction with over 1 million species at risk of disappearing forever, the Trump administration has finalized a rule stripping critical protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This reckless move is the latest in a slew of efforts by the Trump administration to gut vital safeguards for wildlife.

December 17, 2020

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized a rule change that alters the process for designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. This will weaken the ability to designate critical habitat for at-risk species and prioritize economics over science. The rule gives increased weight in decision making to developers to prioritize oil and gas development and other industries over safeguarding and restoring habitat for endangered species.

December 15, 2020

The Trump administration tomorrow is expected to finalize a rule to circumvent establishing habitat protections for endangered and threatened species. The rule follows a string of other efforts and rollbacks to weaken the Endangered Species Act under the Trump administration.

October 29, 2020

In the latest attack on endangered species, the Trump administration today finalized a rule stripping protections from gray wolves across most of the lower 48 states. The politically-driven move will turn wolf management over to historically hostile state agencies

September 4, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C— The Trump administration today announced a new proposed rule to circumvent establishing habitat protections for endangered species. The rule follows a string of other proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act, including another rule proposed just last month putting additional restrictions on designation of critical habitat. 

July 31, 2020

WASHINGTON,D.C. --- The Trump administration today released a new proposal that would severely limit critical habitat protections for endangered wildlife. The proposal runs counter to warnings of scientists around the world who have identified habitat loss as the single largest driver of species imperilment and a major contributing factor to pandemics, such as COVID-19. The new proposed definition of “habitat” seeks to prevent former habitat from being designated as critical habitat, even when that habitat has irreplaceable characteristics vital to the recovery of a species. It would also prevent areas that will be the last refuge for species harmed by climate change from being designated as critical habitat until it’s too late.

July 8, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO--The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the Montana District Court’s opinion that reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for the Yellowstone region’s grizzly bear population. The decision spares the grizzlies from plans for trophy hunts in the states of Wyoming and Idaho. 

Earthjustice, representing the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity and National Parks Conservation Association, argued for restoring protections to Yellowstone grizzly bears.

May 26, 2020

Washington, DC— The Sierra Club secured over 14,437 documents from the Department of the Interior through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including call logs, meetings and email communications that are now available for the public. Find and search the documents online here.

Included in the lowlights are:

April 20, 2020

New Orleans, LA -- Today, environmental groups filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) approval of the massive Annova LNG fracked gas export terminal proposed for southern Texas.

March 16, 2020

Helena, MT— Last week, the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior has approved paintballing by the public to haze grizzly bears, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act.