Changes to Endangered Species Act prompt lawsuit

Several environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over recent changes to the Endangered Species Act that they say threaten wildlife. Earthjustice filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association and the Humane Society of the United States. The Department of the Interior announced rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act on Aug. 12. The changes remove a blanket rule that gave newly-listed threatened species the same protections as endangered species. As part of the rule changes, agencies must now consider economic impact when listing a species or designating critical habitat. Wednesday’s lawsuit alleges the Interior Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to disclose negative environmental impacts of the new rules. The lawsuit claims the administration inserted new changes into the final rules that were never subject to public comment, which “cut the American people out of the decision-making process completely.” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the changes would improve one of the nation’s most important environmental laws...MORE

First, I don't know if this is ignorance or bias by the author, but there are no changes to the ESA. The proposed changes are to the regulations to implement the act. That, though, doesn't make as scary a headline or serve as well to raise funds.

Second, bias shows by calling it a "rollback". This could just as easily be described as a step forward in providing needed flexibility to administrators to better protect endangered species.

Embedded below is the lawsuit, or you can view the lawsuit here.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fYGHf4AaZZWqO9C4e25Yl9-r5-Qw1XzO/view?usp=sharing