Trump administration rolls back key endangered species protection

The Trump administration on Friday announced it rolled back a key protection for endangered species.

Specifically, it said it was repealing a previous definition of prohibited “harm” to endangered animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act.

Under prior regulations, expressly prohibited “harm” includes significantly changing a species’s habitat to the point that it “actually kills or injures wildlife” by preventing food, shelter or breeding.

The administration said it was making its move to speed up approvals for projects that would have been slowed under previous rules of the road, which it described as outdated.

“For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.

“That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended,” he added.

However, environmental advocates warned that repealing the definition could allow developers to trample over important habitats — harming at-risk animals and plants in the process.

“What is at risk is truly harmful projects that will imperil species slipping through the cracks [and] being allowed to go forward,” said Kristen Boyles, an attorney with Earthjustice.

Boyles said her group plans to sue the administration over the decision.

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