News summary produced by Claude AI
The Interior Department finalized a rule change on Friday that eliminates automatic protections for plant and animal species designated as threatened with extinction, according to the Trump administration. Under the new approach, species added to the threatened list will require individualized protection plans developed through a process in which companies may petition for exemptions to conduct oil and gas drilling, mining, and other development activities in areas where those species reside.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the change, stating that the Endangered Species Act had been applied too broadly and had hindered economic development. Burgum argued that success should be measured by species recovery and removal from protected lists rather than the addition of new species. A related change requires officials to consider economic impacts when determining whether habitat qualifies as critical to a species’ survival.
Environmental groups and conservation advocates contend the modifications will impede efforts to save endangered wildlife, citing species such as monarch butterflies, alligator snapping turtles, and California spotted owls that currently face threatened status or proposed listing. Critics argue that factoring economic considerations into habitat designations creates opportunities for industries to influence regulatory decisions, particularly when habitat destruction represents a primary threat to species survival.
The policy reversals echo similar changes implemented during Trump’s initial term, which were subsequently reversed under the Biden administration. The Trump administration’s current modifications extend beyond threatened species protections, encompassing narrowed definitions of species “harm,” reduced critical habitat designations for Canada lynx in the Rocky Mountains, and proposals to transfer grizzly bear management authority to state governments.
Representatives supporting the changes, including Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center, contend that the revised approach encourages landowner participation in conservation efforts by rewarding progress. The administration has not added species to endangered or threatened lists during its current term, contrasting with over 20 additions in its first term and approximately 60 during the Biden presidency. Approximately 30 species remain proposed for threatened listing status.