The Trump administration is expected to finalize new rules that environmental interests argue would weaken the Endangered Species Act. Hailey Hawkins with the Endangered Species Coalition says under current law, species listed as threatened automatically get the same protections as those listed as endangered. However, she says under the new rules, candidates for threatened status would not be protected. The proposal also would require the U-S Interior Department to consider economic analysis before determining a listing, which Hawkins says could effectively put industry profits above the needs of wildlife and entire ecosystems. Quoting Hawkins, “Anything that we do that fragments habitat or destroys habitat is going to be really bad for wildlife, including climate change, development, or if that’s extractive industries like oil and gas or logging.”The Trump administration has argued that removing regulations it sees as barriers to fossil-fuel development is necessary to achieve energy dominance. Last September, conservation groups submitted more than 800-thousand public comments opposing the administration’s proposed changes.
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