Trump Administration Moves to Cut Animal Habitat Protections (2)

The Trump administration is seeking to roll back agency interpretations of what it means to “harm” wildlife like grizzly bears and Florida panthers protected under the Endangered Species Act.

A newly proposed rule made public Wednesday morning would nix current regulations that include habitat modification or degradation in the definition of “harm” to endangered species.

If the rule were finalized, various industries would have an open door to “destroy the natural world and drive species to extinction in the process,” according to a statement from the Center for Biological Diversity. The deregulation would also eliminate a key way for environmental ...