The Endangered Species Act, enacted by Congress in 1973, has been credited with helping save species including the California condor, grizzly bear and humpback whale. The states said 99% of the species protected under the law have avoided extinction.
They said that the rules could allow development, mining and oil drilling in habitats of threatened wildlife. Twenty US states and Washington, DC, sued US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, challenging new rules that they say weaken the federal Endangered Species Act.
They argue that the rules are “arbitrary and capricious” and violate the National Environmental Policy Act. Washington attorney general Nick Brown said the administration was weakening a law that has protected wildlife for decades. “The Trump administration is trying to undermine the law, the will of Congress and the will of the people who overwhelmingly support protections for endangered species,” Washington attorney General Nick Brown said at a press conference. “Instead of stewardship, this administration’s approach to our land, to our water is one of exploitation.”
The Endangered Species Act, enacted by Congress in 1973, has been credited with helping save species including the California condor, grizzly bear and humpback whale. The states said 99% of the species protected under the law have avoided extinction.
“This lawsuit seeks to preserve a decades-old regulatory overreach that expanded the Endangered Species Act beyond the authority granted by Congress,” the spokesperson added. “The department will vigorously defend its authority to implement the law according to its plain text. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said the Endangered Species Act has been weaponised to stop projects, hurt competitiveness and undermine national security.
The Trump administration has argued that the law has been used to block development projects and impose costs on businesses.