Agencies Propose Rollbacks of Endangered Species Act Rollbacks

WASHINGTON  – In response to a federal lawsuit, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service released draft revisions to regulations governing protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The updates address Trump Administration efforts in 2019 to undermine science-based determinations about new ESA species listings, reduce protected habitat, and weaken protections afforded by the bedrock environmental law.

Following is reaction from Lucas Rhoads, staff attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): 

“The Trump Administration attempted to eviscerate ESA protections for the most imperiled species in our country. Today’s proposals would restore many of the protections that had been lost, strengthening key habitat safeguards and restoring common-sense protections to recover species and prevent them from sliding further towards extinction. 

“While these updates reflect a mixed bag, with some troubling Trump-era changes remaining in place, the Endangered Species Act is poised for a much happier 50th anniversary now than it was before these revisions were released. As the world faces twin climate and biodiversity crises, these protections have never been more essential.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.