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Trump Administration Proposes Narrowing Endangered Species Act Protections

The draft rule redefines 'harm' to exclude habitat destruction, triggering a 30-day public comment period and pledges of legal challenges from environmental groups.

FILE - A baby manatee swimming beside its mother comes to the surface to breathe, at Manatee Lagoon, in Riviera Beach, Fla., Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Cut down trees are visible at the site of a timber sale in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Camptonville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
“The Wild Couch Party and Friends,” a public art sculpture exhibited in New York City, depicts some of the world’s most endangered animals as the planet experiences its 6th mass extinction, seeks to raise awareness about the human role in these events in New York City, New York, U.S., July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Overview

  • The proposed rule, issued on April 16, 2025, seeks to remove habitat modification from the definition of 'harm' under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
  • If finalized, the change would limit ESA protections to direct actions like killing or injuring endangered species, excluding indirect impacts such as habitat destruction.
  • Environmental groups argue the rule threatens decades of conservation progress and vow to challenge it in court if adopted.
  • The ESA, enacted in 1973, has been credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction, including bald eagles and American alligators.
  • The proposal has been officially published, initiating a 30-day public comment period as debates over conservation and economic development intensify.