US Conservation Groups Sue Over Trump Endangered Species Act Rule Change

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, under the Trump administration, issued a rule redefining “harm” in the Endangered Species Act to exclude habitat destruction unless it directly kills or injures a protected species. The change removes a key protection for wildlife habitats across the country.

Conservation groups, including the Endangered Species Coalition and Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Seattle, arguing the rule violates the core language of the ESA and longstanding Supreme Court precedent. Jewel Tomasula, national policy director for the Endangered Species Coalition, warned that the change could allow projects such as logging, mining, oil and gas development to proceed without regard for habitat impacts. Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles called the repeal a violation of the statute’s “basic foundation.”

The agencies defended the rule as reducing federal overreach and easing burdens on landowners, while the plaintiffs seek to halt its implementation and restore the previous definition that protected critical habitats for species like the California condor, monarch butterfly, and many others.