The Endangered Species Act Is Under Political Attack

An article that discusses the Trump administrations new regulations that weakens the endangered species act. Below the catastrophic effects of this development is examined. Also, the animals that were protected from extinction by Endangered Species Act are listed.

Recognizing that extinction is irreversible, the United States did in 1973 what no country had done before, establishing a commitment to protect and restore the species that are most at risk of extinction.

The Endangered Species Act is one of the most popular and effective environmental laws ever enacted.

In the four decades since the Endangered Species Act became law, 99% of species protected under the Endangered Species Act have not perished.

On Aug. 21, Earthjustice, on behalf of environmental and animal protection groups, sued the Trump administration over its new regulations that dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act. The rollbacks imperil hundreds of species and violate the spirit and purpose of the law itself. These six species are among the many that have been saved from extinction by the Endangered Species Act:

1. Gray Wolves

2. Bald Eagles

3. Grizzly Bears

4. Killer Whales

5. Florida Manatees

6. Whooping Cranes

LAST SUMMER, THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT released a series of proposed changes to the way the agency interprets and carries out actions under the Endangered Species Act — including changes to the requirement that federal agencies consult with expert wildlife agencies and scientists when seeking permits for projects such as logging or oil and gas drilling operations.

IN ADDITION, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION aims to incorporate economic considerations into decisions about whether or not species on the brink of extinction are protected — while not taking climate change into account.

The sweeping regulatory changes were finalized on Aug. 12, 2019. The rollbacks weaken endangered species protections by permitting actions that lead to the gradual destruction of a listed species as long as each step is sufficiently modest, creating a loophole exempting activities that could harm listed species by hastening climate change, and more.

“This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it’s a gift to industry, and it’s illegal,” said Drew Caputo, Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife, and Oceans. “We’ll see the Trump administration in court.”

Meanwhile, anti-environment interests in the house and senate, backed by oil and gas corporations, mining companies, and other extractive industries, have orchestrated additional attacks on the Endangered Species Act, introducing 116 legislative rollbacks in the 115th Congress alone.

The stakes are too high to let this happen. It takes millions of years for species to evolve — but if we fail to protect our incredible, diverse fellow species from manmade threats, they can be lost in the blink of an eye.