Official defends Trump plan to revamp Endangered Species Act

A top Trump administration official on Monday defended a plan to revamp the Endangered Species Act, saying the proposed changes would result in more effective, quicker decisions on species protection. Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt dismissed criticism by environmental groups that the plan would “gut” crucial protections for threatened animals and plants. “That’s laughable,” he said, adding that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and other officials “respect the law” and know the law. While he disagrees with critics, Bernhardt said he recognizes that any plan to change the 45-year-old law was bound to create controversy. “People are passionate about the Endangered Species Act, and that’s a good thing,” he said. Bernhardt told an audience at the conservative Heritage Foundation that the Obama administration too often “strayed” from the law to focus solely on species protection without regard for costs to nearby land owners or businesses. “The reality is there is a cost” to listing a species as endangered or threatened, Bernhardt said. “It’s not a free choice by society.” The “true costs” of the species law “are often borne by folks who just happen to be in a certain geographical area” where an endangered animal lives, he added. Conservatives have long complained that the law hinders drilling, logging and other activities while failing to restore endangered species to unprotected status. The Trump administration proposed a regulatory overhaul in July that would end automatic protections for threatened animals and plants and limit habitat safeguards meant to shield recovering species from harm. The proposal also opens the possibility of including cost-benefit analysis in listing decisions and makes it easier to remove a species from endangered or threatened status...MORE