Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #endangeredspeciesact, aggregated by home.social.
Arthropods Lag Far Behind Other Animals in Conservation Assessment and Protection, Study Shows
Most U.S. insects and arachnids remain unassessed for conservation risk, and even many known at-risk species lack lega…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #arachnid #conservation #Ecology #Endangeredspecies #EndangeredSpeciesAct #environment #government #Insects #LauraFigueroa #ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences #Science #science-policy #UK #UnitedKingdom #WesWalsh
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/776316/
https://www.europesays.com/ie/696024/ Arthropods Lag Far Behind Other Animals in Conservation Assessment and Protection, Study Shows #arachnid #conservation #Ecology #Éire #EndangeredSpecies #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #Government #IE #Insects #Ireland #LauraFigueroa #ProceedingsOfTheNationalAcademyOfSciences #Science #SciencePolicy #WesWalsh
Arthropods Lag Far Behind Other Animals in Conservation Assessment and Protection, Study Shows
Most U.S. insects and arachnids remain unassessed for conservation risk, and even many known at-risk species lack legal…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #arachnid #AU #Australia #Conservation #Ecology #Endangeredspecies #EndangeredSpeciesAct #government #Insects #LauraFigueroa #ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences #Science #sciencepolicy #WesWalsh
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/897222/
https://www.europesays.com/africa/432505/ August Is for Elephants: Legal Considerations for Captive Elephants in Missouri #AfricanElephants #AnimalWelfare #AnimalWelfareAct #AsianElephants #cites #ElephantCaptivity #EndangeredSpeciesAct #EnvironmentalLaw #Namibia #StLouisZoo #USDAAPHIS #ZooAccreditation
Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core #EndangeredSpecies Protection
An internal memo reinterprets the law so that only the intentional killing of animals, not collateral harm, is illegal.
Under a new interpretation of the #EndangeredSpeciesAct’s language outlined in the memo, the accidental killing or injury of an animal would no longer be considered illegal; only actions specifically intending to target an animal would.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/climate/endangered-species-act-change.html
https://archive.ph/EDXUh
https://www.edctips.com/587103/area-of-oceano-dunes-temporaily-closed-to-off-roading/ Area of Oceano Dunes temporaily closed to off-roading #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #Oceano #OceanoDunes #OceanoStateVehicularRecreationArea #OffRoading #SnowyPlover
Trump signs executive order on wolf delisting
USA TODAY NETWORK Among a long list of measures purported to help beef growers, President Donald Trump signed…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #afternoonupdate #endangeredspeciesact #graywolfWisconsin #Science #TrumpAdministration
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/839069/
The most evil of administrations in a long list of evil administrations.
H.R. 9171 would strip gray wolves of federal protection across the lower 48 states. It is on the House floor calendar right now, and carries 21 anti-wildlife riders — the most ever packed into a single bill in the 52-year history of the Endangered Species Act.
#US #TrumpAdministration #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Wildlife #Animals
Aleutian Cackling Goose: In 1975, fewer than 800 Aleutian cackling geese remained; fox removal and habitat protection helped the population rebound to around 200,000, and regulated hunting later returned
Fe…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #Aleutiancacklinggoose #Arcticfoxremoval #birdconservation #Californiawetlands #endangeredspeciesact #PacificFlyway #SanJoaquinRiverNationalWildlifeRefuge #Science #wildlifemanagement
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/832269/
#California #extinction
#EndangeredSpeciesAct
"California is home to the rarest trout in North America. It’s now in danger from Trump
The Paiute cutthroat remains on the planet because of the Endangered Species Act. But it and many of the 2,383 other organisms previously protected by the law now face extirpation or extinction.
That’s because on July 14, the Trump administration finalized a rule that legalized the destruction of habitat that sustains the organisms listed on the Endangered Species Act.
It’s still a crime to kill or damage any listed individual plant, invertebrate, fish, reptile, amphibian, bird or mammal. But it’s perfectly OK to destroy the habitat that everything protected by the law requires for survival. This is 'common sense,' according to Trump’s Interior Secretary Douglas Burgum.
Wildlife advocates are outraged. Bart Melton of the National Parks Conservation Association said in a statement that the rule 'defies common sense' and that it 'paves the way for mining, oil and gas drilling, logging, and development in areas that are crucial to the survival of some of our most vulnerable species.'
Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles condemned the rule in a statement and said it violates 'the core purpose of the statute and decades of legal precedent, including from the U.S. Supreme Court.'
'Taking habitat protections out of the ESA is like taking anti-discrimination provisions out of the Civil Rights Act,' declared Animal Wellness Action President Wayne Pacelle. 'The law may still bear the same name, but its core provision and promise have been hollowed out.'
Multiple lawsuits to block the Trump rule are underway. Unless they succeed, it goes into effect Sept. 14.
That the Paiute cutthroat now inhabits basically all its historic range is one of the great Endangered Species Act’s success stories."
In 2005, California began eradicating 5,036 feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island as part of a wider fox recovery effort; by 2015 its native fox population had risen from under 70 to about 2,100
An aggressive campaign to eradicate 5,036 feral pi…
#NewsBeep #News #Wildlife #baldeaglesrestoration #CA #Canada #conservationsuccessstory #ecologicalrestorationefforts #EndangeredSpeciesAct #feralpigseradication #goldeneaglespredation #SantaCruzIslandfoxrecovery #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/867013/
Federal changes could threaten Midwest’s plovers, dragonflies
As temperatures hovered around 80 degrees and few clouds obscured a bright blue sky, many people took the…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #endangeredspeciesact #GreatLakes #hinesemeralddragonfly #pipingplover #Science #Trump #whoopingcrane
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/808381/
“A Stake Through the Heart of the #EndangeredSpeciesAct”
How the Trump admin’s regulatory rollbacks threaten thousands of plants and animals with #extinction
Endangered Species Act has maintained broad levels of support since its passage in 1973, with 86% of Americans supporting, and a majority expressing that it should be more protective than it currently is. It’s also been effective, saving more than 99% of the species listed under its protection, including bald eagle
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/stake-through-heart-endangered-species-act
California is weighing state endangered-species protections for southern resident killer whales, a population of just over 70 animals threatened by noise, pollution and falling salmon prey
California is taking a closer look at one of the Pacific coast’s most iconic and imperil…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Wildlife #California #endangeredspeciesact #killerwhales #marinemammalprotectionact #NOAAFisheries #orca #salmon #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/777911/
#Jackie the rescued eagle from #BigBear is alert and underweight
by Rene Ray De La Cruz
July 21, 2026
"Jackie, the rescued bald eagle and mate of Shadow from Big Bear, is underweight, alert, perching and eating with assistance, according to the Ojai Raptor Center.
"The center delivered that message to Friends of Big Bear Valley, who reported on Monday that the Ventura County-based rehab center had not yet received Jackie’s medical test results, but was expected to within the next couple of days.
"On Tuesday, FOBBV shared an update from the Ojai Raptor Center, saying personnel there are awaiting test results for signs of #lead, #zinc, or rodenticide levels.
"#Rodenticides are pesticides that kill a variety of rodents, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.
"The most common route of exposure to lead for birds, especially in eagles, is through ingestion of spent lead #ammunition fragments and #FishingTackle, according to the #Cornell #Wildlife Health Lab.
"High zinc levels in birds are often caused by the ingestion of lead, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.
" 'Jackie is anemic and has inflammation affecting her kidneys,' FOBBV said. “They are unsure of the underlying issue causing these symptoms. The center is working with several specialist veterinarians to determine the best supportive care for the moment.'
"FOBBV was also told that Jackie has more energy and 'is mad and fighting. That’s our Jackie, a strong and mighty eagle!' "
#EndangeredSpecies #EndangeredBirds #EndangeredSpeciesAct #JackieAndShadow #NewsFromTheNest #Ammunition #AmmunitionPollution #ProtectNature
It’s no longer illegal to destroy the one thing #EndangeredSpecies need most to survive
The Trump administration’s twisted definition of one word is putting hundreds of rare animals at risk.
by Benji Jones
Jul 20, 2026
Excerpt: "It’s the meaning of one of those words — harm — that matters most here. Up until the recent rule, the government’s definition for harm included destroying an animal’s habitat if it impairs essential behaviors, such as breeding. That might include, say, building a hotel on top of a beach that endangered sea turtles use for nesting. Such a definition was important because destroying the habitat of an already imperiled species could push it over the edge, #wildlife advocates say.
"What’s more is that, according to the language of the law itself, the purpose of the #ESA includes conserving '#ecosystems upon which endangered species and #ThreatenedSpecies depend.'
"The Trump administration, however, just threw out that definition of harm and the unambiguous protection it has long afforded habitat. And while it didn’t offer a new definition, the administration said that it agrees with a much narrower interpretation of the term — articulated three decades ago in a dissent by the late conservative Justice #AntoninScalia — that only includes actions that directly and intentionally harm individual animals, such as capturing a sea turtle to eat or keep as a pet.
" 'For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses,' #DougBurgum, Secretary of the Interior Department, which oversees endangered species protections, said in a statement. 'That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended. This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed.' (The Interior Department declined to provide a comment on our reporting, pointing us instead to its press release and the notice in the Federal Register.)
"Under the new rule, set to take effect in September, 'harm' no longer explicitly includes actions that may accidentally or indirectly doom a wildlife population to extinction. A company building luxury villas on a private beach that endangered sea turtles need for survival would not unambiguously be considered take — and thus be illegal — unless the company knew it’d crush turtle eggs or the turtles themselves in the process. Neither would logging #OldGrowthForests that #EndangeredBirds inhabit, building wind turbines that are known to kill endangered bats, or constructing a road that would likely get endangered snakes run over.
"The administration’s interpretation of take 'really completely blows up the #EndangeredSpeciesAct,' said J.B. Ruhl, a lawyer at Vanderbilt University and a leading expert on the ESA."
Read more:
https://www.vox.com/climate/496053/trump-endangered-species-act-harm-rule
#ProtectTheSacred #ProtectNature #TrumpSucks #USPol #Extinction
Trump Administration Weakens Endangered Species Act Protections: What the New Rules Mean
The Trump administration has finalized sweeping regulatory changes that weaken federal protections for animals and plants facing the threat of extinction.
According to reporting published by The Washington Post, the changes narrow how the federal government applies the Endangered Species Act, a landmark conservation law credited with helping save species such as the bald eagle, American alligator and peregrine falcon.
The administration says the revisions will reduce regulatory burdens, provide greater certainty for landowners and businesses, and ensure that environmental protections are balanced against economic concerns. Conservation organizations warn that the rules could accelerate habitat destruction and push vulnerable species closer to extinction.
Threatened species will lose automatic protections
One of the most consequential changes affects wildlife classified as “threatened.”
A threatened species is not yet considered endangered but is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. For decades, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally extended many of the same protections given to endangered species to newly listed threatened species.
Under the administration’s revised approach, threatened species will no longer receive those protections automatically. Federal officials must instead develop a species-specific rule explaining which activities are prohibited.
That process could leave newly listed species without broad safeguards against killing, capturing or other forms of “take” while individualized regulations are being developed.
Supporters argue that species-specific plans provide regulators with greater flexibility. Conservation advocates say the change creates dangerous gaps in protection when vulnerable wildlife may already be declining rapidly.
Habitat destruction will no longer automatically qualify as “harm”
The administration has also rescinded the federal regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act.
Since 1981, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s definition included certain forms of significant habitat destruction that actually killed or injured protected wildlife by interfering with essential behaviors such as breeding, feeding or sheltering.
The new rule removes that regulatory definition. Federal officials argue that the previous interpretation expanded the law beyond its intended meaning and created confusion for property owners, farmers, energy companies and developers.
Environmental groups contend that the distinction between killing wildlife and destroying the habitat wildlife needs to survive is unrealistic. Logging, mining, drilling, road construction and real estate development can eliminate nesting areas, food sources and migration routes even when animals are not killed directly at the project site.
The rule does not remove every federal protection for designated critical habitat. However, it could make it more difficult to prosecute or stop some private activities based on indirect injuries caused by habitat destruction.
Economic costs could influence habitat decisions
The revised regulations also direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to give greater consideration to the economic, national-security and other consequences of protecting critical habitat.
Critical habitat consists of areas considered essential to the survival and recovery of a protected species. Designations can affect federally authorized or funded projects, including energy development, transportation construction and other land-use activities.
The Endangered Species Act already permits agencies to consider economic effects when deciding whether to exclude particular areas from a critical-habitat designation. The administration’s revisions establish a more formal framework for weighing those costs.
Business and industry groups have long argued that habitat restrictions can delay construction, increase costs and limit the use of private and public land. Conservationists worry that giving economic costs more weight could result in smaller protected areas, even when scientists determine that the habitat is important for preventing extinction.
The administration’s argument
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other administration officials say the changes restore the Endangered Species Act to its original purpose.
The Interior Department says narrowing the definition of harm will reduce unnecessary permitting, cut compliance expenses and provide clearer rules for landowners, farmers, ranchers, energy producers, small businesses and local governments.
Administration officials maintain that endangered wildlife will still receive protection and that threatened species can be covered through individualized conservation rules.
Conservation groups promise legal challenges
Environmental organizations strongly oppose the regulatory rollback and are expected to challenge the changes in federal court.
Nine conservation groups have already filed a lawsuit over the administration’s decision to rescind the definition of harm. The organizations argue that the rule contradicts the Endangered Species Act and a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the government’s authority to treat some habitat destruction as harm to protected wildlife.
Opponents also argue that habitat loss is one of the leading causes of species decline. They say excluding it from the regulatory definition could undermine decades of conservation work.
The legal disputes will likely determine how extensively federal agencies can enforce the new rules.
What could this mean for North Carolina?
North Carolina is home to federally protected wildlife and plants, including red wolves, sea turtles, freshwater mussels, woodpeckers and several rare coastal and mountain species.
Changes to federal habitat and threatened-species protections could affect decisions involving highways, housing developments, utility projects, forestry, coastal construction and energy infrastructure across the state.
The effects will depend on each species’ federal classification, whether critical habitat has been designated and what species-specific rules remain in place. Existing protections will not necessarily disappear immediately, but future listings and habitat decisions could be handled under the administration’s narrower standards.
The bigger picture
The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 to prevent plants and animals from disappearing and to support the recovery of declining species.
The Trump administration describes its revisions as a necessary correction to decades of regulatory expansion. Environmental advocates describe them as one of the most significant rollbacks of American wildlife protections in years.
Regardless of how the administration characterizes the rules, they represent a major change in how the federal government balances species conservation, private property rights and economic development.
Legal challenges, implementation decisions and future species-specific regulations will determine the full impact.
This article summarizes reporting from The Washington Post and information published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Federal Register.
Follow DoRaleigh.com for news, government updates and issues affecting Raleigh and North Carolina.
Connect With Us: Instagram | Facebook | BSky | Linkedin
Share With Us: Post your community News, Events, on our Submissions Page.
Advertise With Us: Interested in Advertising click here.
Published by Bryan Tomlinson | BTDesigns.pro |
Sources: The Washington Post, Federal Register final rule, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
#conservation #criticalHabitat #endangeredSpecies #EndangeredSpeciesAct #environmentalPolicy #habitatDestruction #nationalNews #News #NorthCarolinaWildlife #RaleighNews #threatenedSpecies #TrumpAdministration #USFishAndWildlifeService #wildlifeProtection
• The "God Squad" decided that #oil & #gas companies don't need to abide by #EndangeredSpeciesAct in #GulfOfMexico
• Habitat destruction won't be considered a 'harm' to #EndangeredSpecies 👀
• It is now not prohibited to illegally kill, trap or harass #ThreatenedSpecies
#environment #EnvironmentalLaw
--
Trump allows killing of species threatened w/ extinction ~
Regulatory changes demand the Fish and Wildlife Service "consider the economic toll of habitat protection"
Automatic protections for threatened wildlife in the US have been scrapped by the Interior Department. The policy shift requires individualised plans for each species, which critics argue opens the door for oil, gas, and mining exemptions. Conservationists warn this could push species like the monarch butterfly closer to extinction. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/world/us-scraps-automatic-protections-for-threatened-animals-as-critics-warn-of-extinction-risk-lxrixbbh?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #EndangeredSpeciesAct #USNews #WildlifeConservation #Environment
Earthjustice Sues to Block Trump's Move to Gut Endangered Species Act http://www.democracynow.org/2026/7/16/change_to_endangered_species_act #uspoli #TrumpRegime #EndangeredSpeciesAct #WildlifeConservation #SpeciesAtRisk #lawsuit #EarthJustice #biodiversity
#extinction #EndangeredSpeciesAct #TrumpRegime
"Environmentalists decry Trump admin's changing of 'harm' in Endangered Species Act
The definition was integral to the ESA’s role in preventing extinction.
The Trump administration made a change to the language of the Endangered Species Act that environmental groups are concerned will open protected habitats to development.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the definition of the word 'harm' would be rescinded from the 1973 Endangered Species Act.
The definition, first outlined in 1975 and revised in 1981, defined 'harm' as 'an act which actually kills or injures wildlife. Such an act may include significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering.' A 1995 ruling by the Supreme Court upheld that the definition would prohibit 'habitat modification or degradation' due to the potential threats posed to endangered animals.
In the wake of the change, environmental nonprofits, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and Conservation Law Foundation, have filed suit against the Trump administration.
'The Trump Administration repeal violates the core purpose of the statute and decades of legal precedent, including from the U.S. Supreme Court. Now more than ever, imperiled species from salmon to marbled murrelets to grizzly bears need habitat protection to survive and recover,' Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles said in a statement."
https://www.europesays.com/people/151908/ Trump administration sued for rescinding definition of wildlife ‘harm’ #CommerceDepartment #EndangeredSpeciesAct #environment #EnvironmentalLaw #InteriorDepartment #PeteHegseth #SierraClub #TrumpAdministration
Trump administration sued for rescinding definition of wildlife ‘harm’
The Trump administration was sued on Tuesday by nine environmental groups that said its recent decision to rescind…
#UnitedStates #US #USA #CommerceDepartment #Død #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #environmentallaw #InteriorDepartment #pentagon #petehegseth #SecretaryofDefense #SierraClub #TrumpAdministration
https://www.europesays.com/3130435/
https://www.europesays.com/3130435/ Trump administration sued for rescinding definition of wildlife ‘harm’ #CommerceDepartment #Død #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #EnvironmentalLaw #InteriorDepartment #pentagon #PeteHegseth #SecretaryOfDefense #SierraClub #TrumpAdministration
Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle: Florida man charged for selling rare Hawksbill turtle shell on Facebook for $2,700 | World News
Pic courtesy: US Fish and Wildlife Service A Florida man’s attempt to turn a shelf ornament into quick…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #EndangeredSpeciesAct #environment #facebookmarketplace #Floridawildlifecharge #hawksbillturtleshell #Science #turtleshelltrade #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/691719/
Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle: Florida man charged for selling rare Hawksbill turtle shell on Facebook for $2,700 | World News
Pic courtesy: US Fish and Wildlife Service A Florida man’s attempt to turn a shelf ornament into quick…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #AU #Australia #EndangeredSpeciesAct #FacebookMarketplace #Floridawildlifecharge #hawksbillturtleshell #Science #turtleshelltrade
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/800158/
https://www.europesays.com/ie/585573/ Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle: Florida man charged for selling rare Hawksbill turtle shell on Facebook for $2,700 | World News #Éire #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #FacebookMarketplace #FloridaWildlifeCharge #HawksbillTurtleShell #IE #Ireland #Science #TurtleShellTrade
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1088997/ Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle: Florida man charged for selling rare Hawksbill turtle shell on Facebook for $2,700 | World News #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #FacebookMarketplace #FloridaWildlifeCharge #HawksbillTurtleShell #Science #TurtleShellTrade #UK #UnitedKingdom
"The Trump administration finalized a rule that changes how agencies enforce the
#EndangeredSpeciesAct and eliminates a key protection for imperiled #wildlife against logging, oil drilling and other activities. The administration narrowed the definition of #harm under the landmark law — a change with broad implications":
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/11/nx-s1-5890025/trump-administration-imperiled-wildlife
#extremism #greed #WildlifeProtection
https://www.europesays.com/ie/579821/ Trump Cuts Habitat Protections for Endangered Species #Biodiversity #ConservationOfResources #DonaldJ #Éire #EndangeredAndExtinctSpecies #EndangeredSpeciesAct #Environment #IE #Ireland #LawAndLegislation #RegulationAndDeregulationOfIndustry #Science #trump #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesPoliticsAndGovernment
For more than 50 years, the federal government has used a broader definition of #harm to #animals under the #EndangeredSpeciesAct, a bedrock #EnvironmentalLaw. It included any significant “modification or degradation” of habitat that kills or injures animals by impairing their ability to eat, shelter or breed.
#Trump #law #regulations #EndangeredSpecies #wildlife #habitats #farming #drilling #mining #RealEstate #development #ecosystems #ColonyCollapse #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis
New effort will get #genome sequences for entire #EndangeredSpecies list
Thursday, it was announced all of those species would see their genomes sequenced and tissue samples preserved to aid future conservation. Work will be done by a partnership between two unexpected parties. US gov, which has generally attempted to undercut #EndangeredSpeciesAct as part of its anti-regulatory efforts. It is joined by #ColossalBiosciences, a biotech company, will be #biobanking tissues.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/new-effort-will-get-genome-sequences-for-entire-endangered-species-list/
Waiving the #EndangeredSpeciesAct is an Abdication of Science and Moral Authority
The Trump administration invokes the #EndangeredSpeciesCommittee—a group of six people who are members of the Cabinet and other high-ranking officials, authorized to “waive” the protections of the Act—to push through some policy they couldn’t achieve through normal means. In just 15 minutes, issued a “waiver” for #oil and #gas production in the #GulfOfMexico that threaten #Endangeredspecies.
https://scilight.substack.com/p/waiving-the-endangered-species-act
Can we do more damage to the planet for the next generation?
#ClimateCrisis #GodSquad #EndangeredSpeciesAct #SaveTheWhales #GulfOfMexico
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zqmge5vdvci6zqi46zy55oa4/post/3mieejeumyk23
‘#GodSquad’ Waives #Environmental Rules for #OffshoreDrilling
Panel voted to override #EndangeredSpeciesAct restrictions on #oil and #gas activities in the #GulfOfMexico, home to critically endangered #whales and other imperiled wildlife.
#EndangeredSpeciesCommittee, a high-level group that is often called the God Squad because it essentially holds the power to decide whether a species lives or dies, adopted the move during a brief, closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/climate/god-squad-whales-gulf.html
The #EndangeredSpeciesAct has NEVER been used to STOP #oil #drilling in the gulf, so doing away with protections will NOT meaningfully impact the amount of oil produced there, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group.
“I don’t think anyone honestly thinks that there’s a legitimate #NationalSecurity issue here,” Hartl said.
#Trump #law #EnvironmentalLaw #wildlife #MarineLife #FossilFuels #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #PublicHealth
“This is not just about gas prices. It’s about our ability to power our military & protect our nation,” #Hegseth told the committee. [what a load of crap]
“The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s busiest #oil route, & recent hostile action by the Iranian terror regime highlights yet again why robust domestic oil production is a national security imperative.” [which has nothing to do with the #EndangeredSpeciesAct]
#law #wildlife #MarineLife #FossilFuels #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #PublicHealth
#Trump ofcls claimed the decision would protect critical domestic #energy production at a time when global supplies are disrupted by the #IranWar [a war of choice]. It’s the first time that any admin has sought a “#NationalSecurity” exemption since the passage of the 1973 #EndangeredSpeciesAct.
#Defense Sec Pete #Hegseth told the cmte the exemption was, “a matter of urgent national security,” saying active lawsuits based on the Endangered Species Act threatened to halt #oil & #gas production.
The committee led by #Trump’s #interior secretary voted Tuesday to exempt #oil & #gas companies from complying with the #EndangeredSpeciesAct when #drilling in the #GulfOfMexico, a move expected to threaten #RicesWhale & other #species with #extinction.
Meeting for the first time in more than 30 years, the group nicknamed for its ability to decide the fate of species, approved the exemption on [bullshit] “#NationalSecurity” grounds in a discussion that took about 15 minutes.
‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️
#US panel votes to exempt #GulfOfMexico #drilling from #EndangeredSpeciesAct
The committee — nicknamed the “God Squad” for its ability to decide the fate of #species — voted to exempt #oil & #gas firms from federal #wildlife protections, citing the #IranWar.
#Trump #law #EnvironmentalLaw #science #conservation #habitats #ecosystems #MarineLife #FossilFuels #ClimateChange #climate #ClimateCrisis #PublicHealth
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/03/31/trump-god-squad-rices-whales-endangered-species/
OF course, the protections under the Endangered Species Act also help protect other things - like the marine #ecosystems that the Gulf coast states - from Florida to Texas - rely on for tourism, recreation and fisheries. Do they really want more Deepwater Horizons? More #OilSpills? More abandoned wells seeping oil into the waters?
Trump to revoke protections for endangered species in Gulf of Mexico
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/trump-protections-endangered-species-gulf-of-mexico?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
(Did you know the #EndangeredSpeciesAct came out of that radical left #Nixon Administration?)
#EndangeredSpeciesAct #GulfofMexico #Oil #Trump
From AP News.com: Judge won't block meeting that could exempt Gulf drilling from Endangered Species Act
Administration to Convene ‘God Squad’ With Power to Override #Environmental #Law
Trump admin plans to convene so-called #GodSquad, a high-level federal panel that has the power to override protections under the #EndangeredSpeciesAct
The meeting, scheduled for March 31, will focus on #oil and #gas drilling in the #GulfOfMexico. It will be the first time in three decades that the group, officially called the #EndangeredSpeciesCommittee, will gather.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/climate/god-squad-whales-gulf-oil.html
https://archive.ph/6pjrv
"The voluntary agreements are an extinction plan," as our lead scientist
@jarosenfield describes the state's new Bay Delta Plan.
Endangered species will continue to plummet, more fisheries will shutter, and Tribes & Delta communities will continue to suffer with worse water quality.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/bay-delta-water-21325171.php
#cawater #californiawater #baydelta #baydeltaplan #endangeredSpecies #endangeredspeciesact #cadelta #californiadelta #fish #extinction
