Why It Matters
The legal challenge tests the Trump administration’s authority to redefine habitat protections under federal law.
What Happened
A coalition of 20 state attorneys general filed two lawsuits on Wednesday challenging recent rollbacks of endangered species protections by the Trump administration, according to penncapital-star.com. The suits seek to reinstate rules that safeguard habitats essential for the survival of threatened wildlife.
Federal agencies under President Donald Trump recently changed the interpretation of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act to include only direct injury or killing of animals. Previous federal positions banned the destruction of forests, streams, and wetlands used for nesting, mating, and raising young.
A second lawsuit challenges new rules altering the process for designating “critical habitat.” The new regulations reduce protections for newly listed threatened species and make it easier to decline listing certain lands as critical. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star in a statement: “The federal government’s attempt to gut the Endangered Species Act threatens the habitats of orcas, sockeye salmon, and other endangered species that are part of our economy, culture, and way of life.”
By the Numbers
20 states — Number of states filing the lawsuits.
Wednesday — Day the lawsuits were filed.
Over half a century — Duration the Endangered Species Act has stood as a bipartisan example, per Rob Bonta.
Two key federal laws — Administrative Procedure Act and National Environmental Policy Act, cited as violated by the rollbacks.
Zoom Out
The lawsuits argue that rollbacks by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The suits allege the rules ignore the purpose, history, court rulings, and precautionary approach of the Endangered Species Act.
What’s Next
The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The Department of the Interior vowed to defend its authority to manage endangered species under new guidelines.