The U.S. Interior Department has eliminated automatic protections for plant and animal species deemed threatened with extinction, a move critics argue will make it harder to prevent species from disappearing. The administration stated the changes are necessary to streamline processes and reduce burdens on industries.
Under the previous rule, species listed as threatened automatically received protections similar to those designated as endangered. The new policy requires individual protection plans for each threatened species, a process that can be lengthy and allows for potential industry exemptions for activities like oil and gas drilling and mining.
Environmental groups contend that this change will impede conservation efforts for species like monarch butterflies and alligator snapping turtles, which are currently awaiting federal protections. Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity stated that exempting industries responsible for habitat destruction could undermine species recovery.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the decision, asserting that the Endangered Species Act has been overly restrictive, hindering development, increasing costs, and negatively impacting national security. He expressed a preference for measuring success by species recovery and delisting rather than simply adding species to protected lists.
Another modification finalized Friday mandates the analysis of economic impacts when determining critical habitat for species. Opponents fear this will give industries leverage to influence decisions and allow development in ecologically vital areas.
These regulatory changes echo actions taken during former President Donald Trump’s first term, which were subsequently reversed by the Biden administration. The original rules providing broad protections for threatened species were established in 1975 for wildlife and 1977 for plants.
Industry groups have previously challenged the automatic protection rules. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Property and Environment Research Center sued the Biden administration in 2024, arguing that restoring these blanket protections unfairly imposed the same restrictions on landowners regardless of whether a species was listed as endangered or merely threatened. Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center suggested the Trump administration's approach incentivized proactive conservation by allowing for the reward of progress.
Data indicates that no species were added to the endangered or threatened lists during Trump's second term, contrasting with over 20 species added in his first term and approximately 60 during the Biden presidency. Currently, about 30 species are proposed for listing as threatened, including the California spotted owl and various reptiles, fish, and insects.
The administration has implemented other policy shifts affecting endangered species protections. In March, oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was exempted from the Endangered Species Act. Last week, the definition of "harm" to a species was narrowed, potentially permitting development in critical habitats as long as animals are not immediately killed or injured. This week, the designated critical habitat for Canada lynx in the Rocky Mountains was significantly reduced. Additionally, the Interior Department plans to transfer more management authority for grizzly bears to states like Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, a move favored by Republican governors.