Proposed rule changes threaten to ‘defang’ Endangered Species Act

Trump Administration’s interpretation of ‘harm’ could gut habitat protections for endangered species • Rhode Island Current

A grizzly bear, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Acts, walks among pine trees in Yellowstone National Park.(Photo by Jim Peaco/National Park Service)This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. The Trump administration proposed a new rule Wednesday that would rescind widespread habitat prote…

Proposed rule changes threaten to ‘defang’ Endangered Species Act

Last week, agencies at the Departments of Interior and Commerce proposed rule changes that could have far-reaching consequences, essentially upending longstanding and court-upheld interpretations of the Endangered Species Act. The rule changes could potentially give landowners, natural resource companies and other entities broad latitude to modify habitat that had previously been preserved to protect endangered and threatened species. “At the co…

Destroying endangered species' habitat wouldn't count as 'harm' under proposed rule

The Trump administration is reinterpreting a key word in the Endangered Species Act that could have big consequences for species at risk.

Public comment open for changes to Endangered Species Act

TO THE EDITOR: The 30-day public comment period is open for a proposed change to the wording of the Endangered Species Act. The (Trump) administration wants to remove habitat loss and modification from the definition of "harm" that is not…

Gunnison sage-grouse among species at risk under Trump proposal

The Trump administration introduced a rule on Wednesday that would redefine “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed rule would roll back habitat protections, only outlawing directly killing or collecting species.

Endangered Species Act Reboot Sparks Bold New Debate

1. Redrawing the Lines: U.S. Reconsiders Scope of Endangered Species Act Washington, D.C., United States — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries have proposed rescinding a 2019 rule that narrowly defined “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as only direct injury or death. The change would eliminate that restrictive definition and restore broader legal interpretations, allowing harm to include habitat destruction that dis…