"This plan hacks apart the Endangered Species Act and creates a blueprint for the extinction for some of America's most beloved wildlife, said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity in a statement, adding that the proposals were a death sentence for wolverines, monarch butterflies, Florida manatees and so many other animals and plants that desperately need our help."
"Under the plan, newly listed animals and plants could face years without protections as details in tailored regulations are ironed out, delays that would only be exacerbated by the deep cuts to staffing at agencies charged with the work. The definition for critical habitat would also be narrowed, excluding areas that species don't currently occupy, even if it was once considered their habitat."
Federal officials proposed four rules that would roll back Endangered Species Act protections by granting the government authority to weigh economic impacts when designating habitat and by rescinding the automatic protections that treat threatened species the same as endangered ones. Newly listed species could face years without safeguards while agency staff implement tailored regulations, a delay worsened by proposed staffing cuts. The definition of critical habitat would be narrowed to exclude areas not currently occupied, even if historically important for species survival. The rules aim to facilitate energy extraction and industrial access in sensitive wilderness, increasing extinction risk for multiple species.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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