The Trump administration plans to eliminate the protection of habitats for endangered and threatened species in a step that environmental scientists say that will lead to extinction of endangered species due to cutting trees, mining, development and other activities.
In the case is a long -term definition of “damage” in the Law of Endangered Species, which included changing or destroying the places in these species. Noah Greenwald, director of endangered species at the Biodiversity Center, said that the destruction of habitats is the biggest cause of extinction.
The American wildlife service and the national marine fish fisheries service said at a proposed base issued on Wednesday that the amendment of habitats should not be considered harmful because it is not quite targeting “Take”. Environmental scientists argue that the definition of “Take”, though, has always included procedures that harm species, and the definition of “damage” has been supported by the Supreme Court.
Greenwald said the proposed base “cuts the heart of the endangered species law.” “If you say (you) that the damage does not mean the deterioration or modification of habitats, it really leaves the species threatened with extinction in the cold.”
For example, he said that the album and the leopards in Florida are protected because the current rule prohibits the destruction of habitats. But if the new rule is adopted, a person records in a forest or builds a development, it will be dismantled as long as they can say that he does not intend to harm the endangered species.
The proposed base was expected to be published in the federal registry on Thursday, when a 30 -day year suspension began.
A spokeswoman for the United States’s fish and wildlife service referred the Associated Press to the Ministry of Interior, which refused to comment.
Drew Kapoto, a lawyer at Earthjustice, said that environmental groups will challenge the base in court if adopted.
He said that the proposal “threatens half a century of progress in protecting and restoring endangered species”, including bald eagles, gray wolves, fluorida sheep, and whales. He said that this is because the current rule “recognizes the concept of a proper category that indicates that the destruction of the forest, beach, river, or wetlands on which the type of what depends on survival depends on is harmful to this type.”
The question is whether the Trump administration has the right to cancel a base that has been supported specifically by the Supreme Court, and thus it is subject to its race, Patrick Peronto, an honorary professor in the Vermont Law and the Graduate School of Studies that dealt with the issues of endangered species.
He said that due to the current definition of damage, “many millions of lands of land were preserved” to help preserve species alive.
This issue is a special concern in Hawaii, which has more dangerous species than any other state – 40 % of threatened and endangered species in the country – although it has less than 1 % of the land area, according to the Fish and National Wildlife Corporation.
Birds are among the most vulnerable. Since the arrival of humans, 71 birds have become extinct, according to the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources in the state. The ministry said that thirty -one from 42 of the remaining early birds are listed under the endangered species law in the United States.
___
The Associated Press Audrey Audrey in Hawaii contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receive financial support from many private institutions. AP is the only one responsible for all content. Look for AP Standards To work with charitable works, a list of supporters and coverage areas in AP.org.