Trump Allows Habitat Destruction in Endangered Species Rollback

Key Points:

• The Trump administration finalized a rollback of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by removing the definition of "harm," meaning destroying an imperiled species’ habitat is no longer illegal unless done intentionally.
• The 1981 definition of "harm," which included habitat modification or degradation, has been deleted without replacement, allowing developers to avoid permits for habitat changes related to construction, mining, and other activities.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service justified the repeal as a measure to protect private property rights and reduce economic burdens on businesses, limiting ESA protections to direct physical harm to species only.
• Environmental groups, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, plan to challenge the rollback in court, arguing that habitat protection is essential for species survival.
• This rollback is part of broader Trump administration efforts to weaken endangered species protections, including exempting Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from ESA regulations, which critics say endangers species like Rice’s whales and sea turtles.