Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

22 hours ago

US Air Force will Offer Military Funeral Honors to Slain Capitol Rioter

23 hours ago

US Republican Senator Joni Ernst Will Not Run for Re-Election, CBS News Reports

1 day ago

Wall Street Falls as Dell, Nvidia Drive Tech Losses

1 day ago

US Denies Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

1 day ago

Minneapolis Children Revealed Courage, Absorbed Fear During Church Shooting

2 days ago

Ford Recalls Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak

2 days ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

2 days ago
Trump Overhauling Enforcement of Endangered Species Act
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
August 12, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is finalizing major changes Monday to the way it enforces the landmark Endangered Species Act, a move it says will reduce regulatory burden but critics charge will drive more creatures to extinction.

“This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it’s a gift to industry, and it’s illegal. We’ll see the Trump administration in court about it.” — Drew Caputo, a vice president of litigation for the conservation advocacy group Earthjustice
The administration was making public a final rule overhauling the way the federal government handles protections for plants and animals at risk of extinction. Information about the rule and Monday’s release was obtained by The Associated Press beforehand.
The Endangered Species Act is credited with helping save the bald eagle, California condor and scores of other animals and plants from extinction since President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1973.
The Trump administration says the changes will make regulation more efficient and less burdensome while preserving protections for wildlife.
At least 10 attorneys general joined conservation groups in protesting an early draft of the changes, saying they put more wildlife at greater risk of extinction.
A draft version of the changes released last year included ending blanket protections for animals newly deemed threatened and allowing federal authorities for the first time to consider the economic cost of protecting a particular species. Another change could let authorities disregard impacts from climate change, one of the largest threats to habitat, conservation groups said.
Photo of a baby turtle
A baby loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) struggles to reach the Mediterranean Sea, in Adrasan, Antalya, Turkey, early Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. Caretta carettas, a rare species facing the threat of extinction, lay their eggs on certain beaches only and their breeding season is between May 1 to October 1. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Conservationists Promised Legal Action

The final rule broadly sticks to those changes, according to a person briefed on the changes who was not authorized to publicly speak about them.
Conservationists promised legal action.
“This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it’s a gift to industry, and it’s illegal. We’ll see the Trump administration in court about it,” Drew Caputo, a vice president of litigation for the conservation advocacy group Earthjustice.
The Endangered Species Act currently protects more than 1,600 species in the United States and its territories.
A United Nations report warned in May that more than 1 million plants and animals globally face extinction, some within decades, owning to human development, climate change and other threats. The report called the rate of species loss a record.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

DON'T MISS

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

DON'T MISS

Visalia Semi Crash Injures Amazon Truck Driver After Red Light Collision

DON'T MISS

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

DON'T MISS

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

DON'T MISS

Most Trump Tariffs Are Not Legal, US Appeals Court Rules

DON'T MISS

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

DON'T MISS

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

DON'T MISS

California Schools Reverse Truancy Trends. Improving Reading Scores Could Be Next

DON'T MISS

High-Speed Rail Hits a New Snag as Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Expedite Construction

UP NEXT

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

UP NEXT

Lawsuit Links CA Teen’s Suicide To Artificial Intelligence

UP NEXT

Hearing Ends Without Ruling On Trump’s Firing Of Fed Governor Cook

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Launches New Task Force To Clear CA Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

UP NEXT

US Republican Senator Joni Ernst Will Not Run for Re-Election, CBS News Reports

UP NEXT

Trump Moves to Permanently Cancel Funding in Rare Move Around Congress

UP NEXT

US Denies Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

UP NEXT

Trump Ends Security Protection for Former Vice President Harris, Senior White House Official Says

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order to End Collective Bargaining With Some Federal Unions

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

25 minutes ago

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

28 minutes ago

Most Trump Tariffs Are Not Legal, US Appeals Court Rules

37 minutes ago

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

46 minutes ago

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

49 minutes ago

California Schools Reverse Truancy Trends. Improving Reading Scores Could Be Next

56 minutes ago

High-Speed Rail Hits a New Snag as Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Expedite Construction

1 hour ago

Fresno County Garnet Fire Expands to 17,561 Acres, 8% Contained

1 hour ago

Lawsuit Links CA Teen’s Suicide To Artificial Intelligence

2 hours ago

Fresno Spotlight: Lawsuit in Killing of Homeless Man by Deputies Will Go to Trial

2 hours ago

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

Visalia police arrested a 23-year-old man after a series of crashes late Friday night that left a pedestrian with minor injuries. Officers s...

15 minutes ago

A Visalia man was arrested Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, for DUI and other charges after a series of crashes downtown left a pedestrian with minor injuries. (Visalia PD)
15 minutes ago

Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured

17 minutes ago

Dollar Trades Lower With Fed Cut In View, On Course For Monthly Drop

An Amazon semi ran a red light and collided with another truck in Visalia early Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, seriously injuring the driver. (Visalia PD)
19 minutes ago

Visalia Semi Crash Injures Amazon Truck Driver After Red Light Collision

Displaced Palestinians ride on a vehicle loaded with belongings as they flee from one area to another within Gaza City, amid an Israeli military operation, in Gaza City, August 29, 2025. (Reuters File)
25 minutes ago

Evacuation of Gaza City Would Be Unsafe and Unfeasible, Says Head of Red Cross

Mell Garcia says a heartfelt goodbye to her dog Harriet after 13 years, cherishing their memories and celebrating the love they shared. (Special to GV Wire)
28 minutes ago

A Goodbye Love Note to My Dog: Remembering My Best Friend Harriet

President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
37 minutes ago

Most Trump Tariffs Are Not Legal, US Appeals Court Rules

Tourists and pedestrians walk down Pell Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, U.S., April 14, 2025. (Reuters File)
46 minutes ago

New $250 Visa Fee Risks Deepening US Travel Slump

Head of the Houthi-led government Ahmad al-Rahawi looks on during a visit by Houthi government officials to the Hamas office in Sanaa, Yemen August 19, 2024. (Reuters File)
49 minutes ago

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend