US EditionHow redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act's ability to protect vital habitat
- The Trump administration quietly introduced a proposal to revise the definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act, with the public invited to submit comments before the deadline in mid-2025.
- This change aims to exclude habitat damage from the definition of 'harm', despite habitat loss causing 81% of species endangerment between 1975 and 2017.
- More than 107 million acres are designated critical habitat for endangered species, and protecting these areas has historically been central to the law’s success in saving 99% of species from extinction.
- Secretary Doug Burgum cited recent dire wolf de-extinction via altering 14 genes in gray wolves to argue technology can eliminate species risks, but critics say such methods are costly and no substitute for habitat protection.
- Environmental groups warn the rule change could accelerate destruction of habitats, thus undermining the ESA’s core purpose and likely provoking legal challenges as public comments close May 19, 2025.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Why changing the Endangered Species Act’s definition of ‘harm’ would undo key protections
It wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat. But that’s exactly what the Trump administration is proposing to do by changing how one word in the Endangered Species Act is interpreted: harm. For 50 years, the U.S. government has interpreted the Endangered Species Act as protecting thr…
How redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act's ability to protect vital habitat
It wouldn't make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat.
The Conversation
Lancaster FarmingHow redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat
Green sea turtles, like this hatchling in Florida, are endangered due in part to habitat destruction and fishing nets. Keenan Adams/USFWSIt wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat. But that’s exactly what the Trump administration is proposing to do by changing how one word in the En…
Extinction is Forever, Protection Should Be Too | Turtle Island Restoration Network
This Endangered Species Day, use your voice to submit a public comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to uphold the full strength of the Endangered Species Act.Comments close on Monday, May 19th! A dangerous change is coming for endangered species, and it all hinges on one word. Officials are quietly trying to weaken the Endangered Species Act by changing the definition of “take” – a move that would remove habitat destruction as a form of…
Contributor: The Endangered Species Act faces its personal existential menace
We’re on the cusp of shedding the integrity of probably the most vital environmental acts ever enacted in the USA. Why ought to this matter? Because the Pulitzer Prize-winning evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson put it: “We must always protect each scrap of biodiversity as priceless whereas we be taught to make use of it and are available to grasp what it means to humanity.” Wilson thought-about the Endangered Species Act of 1973 an important pie…
Endangered Species Act Public Comment Period Closes 5/19/25` – BigSurKate
From Los Padres Forest Watch: The Trump administration is once again threatening decades of progress for endangered wildlife. A new proposal seeks to eliminate a rule that defines a key term in the Endangered Species Act—one that has ensured protection critical habitat for imperiled species for over 40 years.At issue is the regulatory definition of “harm,” … Continue reading Endangered Species Act Public Comment Period Closes 5/19/25` The post E…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage
