"The Trump administration took its final step Monday to weaken the Endangered Species Act, a bedrock law that brought the bald eagle, the American alligator, the California condor, the humpback whale and the grizzly bear back from the brink of extinction.
New rules will allow the administration to reduce the amount of habitat set aside for wildlife and remove tools that officials use to predict future harm to species as a result of climate change. It would also reveal for the first time in the law’s 45-year history the financial costs of protecting them.
The long-anticipated changes, jointly announced by the Interior and Commerce departments, were undertaken as part of President Trump’s mandate to scale back government regulations on corporations, including the oil and gas industry, that want to drill on protected land."
Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post August 12, 2019.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Significantly Weakens Endangered Species Act" (New York Times)
"Endangered Species: Trump Admin Rolls Out Rule Changes To Limit Law's Reach" (Greenwire)
"Trump Administration Makes Major Changes To Protections For Endangered Species" (NPR)
"Trump Administration Eases Endangered Species Rules" (Politico)
"US Government Weakens Application Of Endangered Species Act" (AP)
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