This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. The Trump administration finalized a significant rollback of the Endangered Species Act on Friday, a move that removes long-standing protections for critical wildlife habitats to facilitate drilling, mining, and other forms of human development. By redefining the term “harm” under this landmark conservation law, the government has effectively made the destruction of protected habitats legal.
Previously, “harm” encompassed actions that injured or killed wildlife, as well as activities that destroyed their necessary habitats. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose department finalized the shift, argued that the former definition created a “regulatory trap” and interfered with private property rights. He stated the change aligns with the administration’s broader mission to reduce regulations to stimulate economic growth. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred.
Environmental advocates have condemned the decision as a disaster that will push vulnerable species toward extinction. The impact is expected to be particularly severe in California, the nation’s most biodiverse state, which hosts nearly 300 of the approximately 2,300 species currently protected by the act. Affected wildlife include the California condor, northern spotted owls, desert tortoises, green sea turtles, and gray wolves.
The Endangered Species Act has historically been credited with the recovery of species like the California condor, whose population grew to several hundred after nearly going extinct in the 1980s. Critics point out that the development and logging practices once blamed for the condor’s decline are now permissible under the new rule. These species include amphibians such as tiger salamanders and Yosemite toads; birds such as California condors and northern spotted owls; fish such as Little Kern golden trout and Santa Ana suckers; insects such as Franklin’s bumble bees and Mission blue butterflies; mammals such as gray wolves and Santa Catalina Island foxes; and reptiles such as desert tortoises and green sea turtles. Other success stories, such as the El Segundo blue butterfly—which saw its population climb from 1,000 in the 1970s to over 120,000—now face renewed uncertainty.
Earthjustice, an environmental nonprofit, estimates that expanded oil drilling in California could threaten five marine species, including humpback whales and wild salmon. Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice, stated that the administration’s claim lacks scientific, legal, or public support and vowed that the organization would challenge the ruling in court. Similarly, Ben Greuel of the Sierra Club described the move as an unlawful attempt to allow corporate polluters to degrade vital habitats. According to a report from the Center for Biological Diversity, the El Segundo blue butterfly lost 90% of its oceanside habitat due to the construction of LAX and beachfront housing developments.
This decision follows other recent tensions between the Trump administration and California regarding environmental policy. Earlier this year, the administration ordered a review of the California Coastal Commission, and Governor Gavin Newsom, along with the governors of Washington and Oregon, formally opposed plans to expand offshore drilling. Furthermore, just one day prior to the Endangered Species Act announcement, the administration approved a controversial plan by the company Cadiz to pipe water from the Mojave Desert, a project that environmentalists warn will threaten desert tortoise habitats.
Jack Flemming covers real estate for the Los Angeles Times. He was raised in St. Louis and studied journalism at the University of Missouri. Before joining The Times as an intern in 2017, he wrote for the Columbia Missourian and Politico Europe.
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