Interior Department Proposes Weakening Threatened Species Protections

Interior officials have suggested lifting the so-called “blanket rule” that extends default protections to species listed as threatened. But conservation advocates warn that this change could leave openings that might exploit or harm these species. Under the current status quo, when the federal government determines that a species is threatened, it can either develop specific regulations to protect it, or offer the same basic protections as endangered species — that’s the “blanket rule.” It’s more efficient to simply apply generic rules to every organism listed than it is to painstakingly develop specific rules for each individual. About 300 plants and animals are currently protected under the blanket rule, including cuties like manatees. Intriguingly, the proposal may be a response to a 2016 petition from a conservative group that purports to “defend property rights.” The group complained that the Endangered Species Act was being applied too broadly, to the detriment of property rights. It can take several years for government agencies to consider and act on a petition, and this move is unusually fast. While the government hasn’t indicated that this rule change is a response to the group, the timing has some raising their eyebrows. If the Department of the Interior decides to implement their proposal, those protections wouldn’t be automatic. Instead, every threatened species would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine which kinds of protections it might need — extending an already lengthy backlog even further. Interior officials claim that this policy change would not be retroactive: All threatened species currently covered by the blanket rule would continue to be, and it would only apply to new listings...MORE