US states sue Trump administration for weakening endangered species protections

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US states filed two lawsuits on Wednesday accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of illegally weakening the federal Endangered Species Act , a landmark law that has shielded the bald eagle and other wildlife from dangers posed by development.

The lawsuits by the Democratic attorneys general of 20 states and Washington, DC, were filed less than two months after the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce announced final rules that could make it easier for developers, fossil fuel companies and others to disturb lands that environmental advocates say need protection from business interests.

Enacted by Congress in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been credited with saving animals including the California condor, grizzly bear and humpback whale.

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Trump administration opens endangered species’ habitats to development, reversing 50 years of environmental law

In one lawsuit, the states challenged a rule that narrowed the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “harm,” which had long included encroachments on habitats where endangered animals live.

The new rule, which the states called “a reversal of staggering proportions,” allows oil drilling, mining and other activities in those habitats so long as those activities are not “directed immediately and intentionally” against particular animals, even if they cause injuries or death.

In the other lawsuit, the states challenged two rules. One rule eliminates broad protections for newly threatened species unless the US Fish and Wildlife Service creates species-specific protections. The second rule requires the government to consider objections by businesses, such as potential economic burdens, before declaring areas as “critical habitats.”

“The Trump administration is trying to undermine the law, the will of Congress and the will of the people who overwhelmingly support protections for endangered species,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said at a press conference. “Instead of stewardship, this administration’s approach to our land, to our water is one of exploitation.”

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According to the complaints, the “arbitrary and capricious” rules imposed by the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service violate the National Environmental Policy Act, which designated the federal government as “trustee of the environment” for future generations.

Both lawsuits were filed in federal courts in the San Francisco area. Environmental groups have also sued to block the revised definition of harm.

“The role of federal agencies is to faithfully implement the Endangered Species Act as written, not to expand its reach through interpretations favored by advocacy organizations,” an Interior Department spokesperson said.

“This lawsuit seeks to preserve a decades-old regulatory overreach that expanded the Endangered Species Act beyond the authority granted by Congress,” the spokesperson added. “The department will vigorously defend its authority to implement the law according to its plain text.”

A spokesperson for the fisheries service said that agency does not discuss pending litigation.

Democratic-led states have filed dozens of lawsuits challenging sweeping policy changes during the second White House term of Trump, a Republican.

Weakening the Endangered Species Act aligns with Trump’s goal to reduce regulations that he says constrain American businesses.

These include the scaling back of a variety of environmental initiatives and standards, including by reducing government support for ​clean energy and repealing a scientific finding by former President Barack Obama’s administration that climate change threatens public health.

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Many wildlife advocates consider habitat loss the biggest cause of animal extinction. Wednesday’s lawsuits say 99% of species that the Endangered Species Act protects have avoided extinction.

“We owe future generations a world where bald eagles soar, sea turtles swim and all wildlife thrives,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.

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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said the Endangered Species Act has been “weaponized” to stop a myriad of projects, weakening competitiveness, undermining national security, and hurting Americans’ pocketbooks.

He has said the new rules more closely align the law with its original intent.

The changes follow the US Supreme Court’s decision in 2024 to overrule a 40-year-old precedent that required courts to defer to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of laws they administer.

Wednesday’s lawsuits were led by Washington State, California, Maryland and Massachusetts. Other plaintiffs include New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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周三，美国各州提起两起诉讼，指控唐纳德·特朗普总统的政府非法削弱了联邦《濒危物种法》。该法是一项具有里程碑意义的法律，保护了白头鹰和其他野生动物免受开发带来的危险。

20 个州和华盛顿特区的民主党籍总检察长提起诉讼，距离内政部和商务部宣布最终规则还不到两个月。这些规则可能会让开发商、化石燃料公司和其他公司更容易扰乱环境倡导者所说的需要保护免受商业利益侵害的土地。

1973 年国会颁布的《濒危物种法》被认为拯救了包括加州秃鹰、灰熊和座头鲸在内的动物。

汤姆·斯泽博斯基/盖蒂图片社/文件

特朗普政府开放濒危物种栖息地用于开发，推翻了50年来的环境法。

在其中一起诉讼中，各州对一项缩小《濒危物种法》中“伤害”定义的规则提出质疑，该规则长期以来一直包括侵占濒危动物栖息地的行为。

这项新规被各州称为“令人震惊的逆转”，它允许在这些栖息地进行石油钻探、采矿和其他活动，只要这些活动不是“直接且故意地”针对特定动物，即使这些活动造成了动物受伤或死亡。

在另一起诉讼中，各州对两项规定提出质疑。其中一项规定取消了对新近受威胁物种的广泛保护，除非美国鱼类及野生动物管理局制定针对特定物种的保护措施。第二项规定要求政府在宣布某些区域为“关键栖息地”之前，必须考虑企业的反对意见，例如潜在的经济负担。

华盛顿州总检察长尼克·布朗在新闻发布会上表示：“特朗普政府试图破坏法律、国会的意愿以及绝大多数支持保护濒危物种的人民的意愿。本届政府对待我们的土地和水资源的方式不是管理，而是剥削。”

乔纳森·牛顿/盖蒂图片社

根据投诉，内政部鱼类和野生动物管理局以及商务部国家海洋渔业局实施的“任意且反复无常”的规定违反了《国家环境政策法》，该法指定联邦政府为子孙后代的“环境受托人”。

这两起诉讼均在旧金山地区的联邦法院提起。环保组织也提起诉讼，试图阻止对“损害”一词进行修订后的定义。

“联邦机构的职责是忠实地执行《濒危物种法》的条文，而不是通过倡导组织支持的解释来扩大其适用范围，”内政部发言人表示。

发言人补充说：“这项诉讼旨在维护一项已有数十年历史的监管越权行为，该行为扩大了《濒危物种法》的适用范围，使其超出了国会授予的权限。该部门将坚决捍卫其根据法律条文执行该法的权力。”

渔业部门发言人表示，该机构不对未决诉讼进行讨论。

在共和党人特朗普的第二个白宫任期内，民主党领导的各州提起了数十起诉讼，挑战其全面推行的政策变革。

削弱《濒危物种法》符合特朗普减少监管的目标，他认为这些监管限制了美国企业的发展。

这些措施包括缩减各种环境倡议和标准，例如减少政府对清洁能源的支持，以及废除前总统巴拉克·奥巴马政府关于气候变化威胁公众健康的科学结论。

乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社

这种鲸鱼仅存50头。特朗普的“上帝小队”竟然选择了石油开采而不是保护它们。

许多野生动物保护人士认为栖息地丧失是动物灭绝的最大原因。周三提起的诉讼称，《濒危物种法》保护的物种中，99%都避免了灭绝。

纽约州总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯在一份声明中表示：“我们有责任为子孙后代创造一个白头鹰翱翔、海龟畅游、所有野生动物繁荣发展的世界。”

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内政部长道格·伯古姆表示，《濒危物种法》已被“武器化”，用来阻止无数项目，削弱竞争力，破坏国家安全，损害美国人的钱包。

他曾表示，新规使法律与最初的立法意图更加一致。

这些变化源于美国最高法院在 2024 年推翻了一项已有 40 年历史的先例，该先例要求法院尊重联邦机构对其所执行法律的合理解释。

周三提起的诉讼由华盛顿州、加利福尼亚州、马里兰州和马萨诸塞州牵头。其他原告包括纽约州、亚利桑那州、科罗拉多州、康涅狄格州、特拉华州、哥伦比亚特区、夏威夷州、伊利诺伊州、密歇根州、明尼苏达州、新泽西州、新墨西哥州、俄勒冈州、罗德岛州、佛蒙特州、弗吉尼亚州和威斯康星州。