Attorneys General file lawsuits to protect Endangered Species Act habitats

A coalition of 21 attorneys general, including officials from California and Michigan, has filed two lawsuits to challenge rule changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The legal action targets the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The lawsuits argue that new regulations reduce essential protections for wildlife by altering the regulatory definition of “harm.” Previously, the definition included significant habitat modification or degradation that could impact breeding, feeding, or sheltering. The new rules make it easier for private entities to modify or degrade habitats without being classified as harming the species, provided they do not directly kill the animal.

Additionally, the coalition is challenging rule changes that reduce automatic protections for newly listed threatened species and establish a new process for designating “critical habitats.” Attorneys general warn that these revisions could lead to further species decline and extinctions by leaving imperiled wildlife without core habitat safeguards.