The Endangered Species Act has stood as a pillar of conservation in the United States since 1973, bringing animals like bald eagles, manatees, and humpback whales back from the brink of extinction. But now, the Trump administration has taken its boldest step yet in an effort to strip legal protections for endangered species. Starting this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that it…
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“Yet again, the Trump administration has sold out our endangered wildlife to the highest bidder,” said one biodiversity advocate after the US Department of Interior, in a Friday news dump, issued two new policy changes that would weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and make it easier for corporate polluters to prioritize their own bottom lines over habitat protection. The US Fish and…
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Federal immigration officials have transferred detainees out of the controversial detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” but environmental advocates say the fight to shut down the Florida Everglades site is far from over. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that detainees were removed from the facility, located at a remote airstrip in Big Cypress National…
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On March 31, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum will convene a rare meeting of the Endangered Species Committee. Sometimes referred to as the “God Squad,” the panel could effectively roll back existing environmental protections by exempting companies from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), paving the way for oil and gas projects throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
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For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has saved thousands of animals and plants from threats like poaching, habitat loss, and pollution. It brought bald eagles back from the brink of extinction, reestablished grizzly bear populations on public lands, and safeguarded the redwood forests that play host to dozens of vulnerable animals. In total, it has prevented the extinction of 99…
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