Trump Administration Sued by 9 Environmental Groups Over Endangered Species Act Rules

A coalition of nine environmental organizations has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a policy change that redefines "harm" under the Endangered Species Act. The administration's decision, made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, removes a regulatory definition that had treated habitat destruction as a form of harm to protected wildlife for over five decades. The environmental groups argue this move significantly weakens safeguards for threatened species by narrowing the law's application. The case, filed in federal court in Seattle, seeks to overturn the policy, asserting it contradicts the Act's purpose and legal precedent, including a 1995 Supreme Court ruling. The Interior Department defended the policy reversal, calling it a correction of regulatory overreach and vowing to defend it in court, stating agencies must adhere to the Act's statutory language. The lawsuit comes amid broader environmental policy shifts by the administration, which critics say are reducing federal protections for endangered species.

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The Interior Department said it was reversing what it described as a regulatory overreach that Congress had never authorised.