Trump Habitat Rollback Takes Effect As Sierra Club and Conservation Partners Sue
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Sierra Club & partners are challenging the repeal in court as states & lawmakers move to reverse it
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Trump administration rule attempting to rescind the federal regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act goes into effect today. The change removes language that made clear that damaging or destroying habitat can violate the law when it kills or injures protected wildlife.
The rule took effect despite overwhelming public opposition. According to The New York Times, 99% of nearly 220,000 public comments submitted to the administration opposed the repeal. Former leaders of the two federal wildlife agencies who served under Republican and Democratic presidents also objected to the change. On July 14, the Sierra Club and conservation partners, represented by Earthjustice, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the rule.
In response, Sierra Club National Wildlife Campaign Manager Ben Greuel released the following statement:
“The Trump administration asked for public input, received nearly 220,000 comments, and ignored nearly all of it. It has handed companies a new argument for escaping responsibility when their projects kill wildlife through habitat destruction. The Sierra Club is taking the administration to court to ensure some of our country’s most iconic species don’t pay the price for the administration’s callous disregard for the harm this policy will cause.”
Sierra Club’s legal challenge argues that the decision violates the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. On September 9, 20 states and the District of Columbia filed separate lawsuits challenging the harm rule and two related ESA changes.
Sierra Club is also supporting efforts from a bipartisan group of lawmakers to restore the definition. Sens. Adam Schiff and Sheldon Whitehouse and Reps. Mike Quigley and Brian Fitzpatrick have introduced two separate measures to reverse the repeal.
The harm rule is part of a broader series of ESA rollbacks announced by the Trump administration this summer. Separate rules ended automatic protections for newly listed threatened species and changed how agencies consider economic impacts when designating critical habitat. The Sierra Club and its partners have challenged those changes in court as well.
Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay
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