Sept 21 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump has scaled back regulations meant to protect endangered wildlife as part of a broader push to reduce permitting obstacles for energy, mining, agriculture and other development.
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The 50-year-old Endangered Species Act is credited with helping to save the bald eagle, the US national bird, along with the California condor and numerous other animals and plants from extinction.
Here is a timeline of actions the administration has taken in Trump’s second term:
April 16, 2025
The administration proposes rescinding the ESA’s regulatory definition of “harm,” arguing that habitat modification should not qualify as a prohibited “take” of a protected species. In the ESA, “take” is defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.”
Environmental groups say the proposal could make it easier for developers to damage wildlife habitat.
November 19, 2025
The Interior Department proposes four rules to roll back former President Joe Biden’s endangered species regulations. The proposals would make it easier to exclude areas from critical habitat designations by considering economic and national security impacts.
March 31, 2026
The Endangered Species Committee unanimously exempts Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from certain requirements of the Endangered Species Act, citing national security and domestic energy needs. It is the first ESA exemption approved in more than three decades.
July 10, 2026
The administration finalizes a rule removing habitat destruction from the regulatory definition of “harm” under the ESA. The change allows habitat modification so long as protected animals are not directly injured or killed. Days later, environmental groups sue to block the rule.
July 17, 2026
The administration finalizes additional ESA regulatory changes, ending automatic protections for newly listed threatened species and making it easier for regulators to consider economic and national security concerns when designating critical habitat.
September 4, 2026
Trump signs an executive order directing the Interior Department to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves qualify for delisting or downlisting under the ESA and, if so, begin that process.
September 9, 2026
Twenty states and Washington, D.C., sue the administration, challenging the revised definition of “harm” and other ESA rule changes that they say unlawfully weaken protections for endangered and threatened species.
September 14, 2026
An internal memorandum from US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik instructs agency officials to adopt a narrower interpretation of the ESA’s prohibition on “take” following repeal of the harm rule. The memo says a prohibited take occurs only when intentionally directed at a particular animal, potentially limiting enforcement.
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The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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