Trump Administration Overhauls Endangered Species Act

The bald eagle is the most visible symbol of the success of the Endangered Species Act

The Trump administration announced on Monday a major overhaul to the Endangered Species Act. The main thrust is to reduce regulations.

Environmentalists immediately responded by saying that it will say will threaten more animals and plants to extinction. This is especially true in light of threats from climate change and human activities.

The Endangered Species Act has prevented more than 99% of listed species from going extinct, according to Earthjustice, a group of lawyers for the environment. They also say that in polling, 90% of Americans support the act.

The changes end blanket protections for animals newly deemed threatened.

It allows federal authorities for the first time to take into account the economic cost of protecting a particular species.

Two statements from the administration explain the move in these ways:

“The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal – recovery of our rarest species. The act’s effectiveness rests on clear, consistent and efficient implementation.” -  U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt 

"...the revisions finalized with this rulemaking fit squarely within the president’s mandate of easing the regulatory burden on the American public, without sacrificing our species’ protection and recovery goals." - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross

Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed plant  - USFWSmidwest photo

President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in 1973. The act was critical to bring back the bald eagle, California condor, grizzly bear and many other animals and plants nearing extinction.

On the side of environmentalists, the reaction is similar to the comments of Noah Greenwald, the Center for Biological Diversity’s endangered species director:

“These changes crash a bulldozer through the Endangered Species Act’s lifesaving protections for America’s most vulnerable wildlife. For animals like wolverines and monarch butterflies, this could be the beginning of the end. We’ll fight the Trump administration in court to block this rewrite, which only serves the oil industry and other polluters who see endangered species as pesky inconveniences. We’ll do everything in our power to get these dangerous regulations rescinded, including going to court.”

The arguments and court cases will certainly start immediately and probably continue for years to come.

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