{"id":850507,"date":"2026-09-17T03:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T03:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/850507\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T03:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T03:14:13","slug":"20-states-and-d-c-sue-trump-over-change-to-endangered-species-protections-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/850507\/","title":{"rendered":"20 states and D.C. sue Trump over change to endangered species protections \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration redefined what it means to \u201charm\u201d endangered species and their habitats back in July<\/a> \u2014 leading to a challenge from Democratic attorneys general across the country. <\/p>\n

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., sued the administration over the change.<\/p>\n

For more than 50 years, the\u00a0Endangered Species\u00a0Act\u00a0has been clear in its intent to halt and reverse the trend toward\u00a0species extinction, whatever the cost.<\/p>\n

With 21 AGs, we\u2019re standing up to defend it and protect the hundreds of animals, plants, and habitats that share this\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/1mO0PGMWFs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) September 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The original definition \u2014 found in the 1973 Endangered Species Act, or ESA \u2014 prohibited \u201chabitat modification or degradation,\u201d stating it could harm or kill endangered animals.<\/p>\n

The administration\u2019s new regulations state habitat destruction is not included in the definition of \u201charm\u201d \u2014 essentially opening the floodgates to development in new areas. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe action returns the interpretation of the ESA back to its actual text and original intent, which will end years of federal overreach,\u201d the Department of the Interior touted in a press release<\/a>. \u201cThrough this action, the Department is delivering the kind of common sense and accountability the American people voted for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pushback from the states<\/p>\n

Environmentalists \u2014 including Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at Center for Biological Diversity \u2014 feel the change is the opposite of \u201ccommon sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHabitat destruction is the biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction, so if you completely take away the prohibition on habitat destruction, there\u2019s just no way we\u2019ll be able to save species going forward,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Greenwald believes the lawsuits \u201chave a good chance,\u201d pointing to the fact that in the 1995 Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of including habitat destruction in the definition. <\/p>\n

\"\"Jason St. Sauver, center, senior manager for education at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, looks through binoculars while leading a grassland bird tour, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Denton, Neb. North America’s grassland birds are deeply in trouble 50 years after adoption of the Endangered Species Act, with numbers plunging as habitat loss, land degradation and climate change threaten what remains of a once-vast ecosystem. | Joshua A. Bickel, Associated Press <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just common sense,\u201d he added. \u201cI think the courts will see that. I\u2019m hopeful that won\u2019t stand, because it will entirely end how we\u2019ve been protecting species and how we\u2019ve been implementing the Endangered Species Act up to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of the Interior points to a different court case, saying it supports their reasoning. <\/p>\n

The 2024 Loper Bright v. Raimondo case came to the conclusion that courts must exercise independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority. <\/p>\n

\u201cUsing the legally justifiable standard, the Services determined that the prior definition of \u2018harm\u2019 was an unlawful regulatory intrusion that interfered with private property rights,\u201d the Interior Department said. <\/p>\n

The final rule will reduce \u201cunnecessary\u201d permitting, cut compliance costs, and \u201celiminate confusion\u201d for landowners, small businesses, energy producers, farmers, ranchers and local governments, the department said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings long overdue financial and regulatory relief to citizens who faced unpredictable delays and unnecessary costs due solely by interpretations that went far beyond the statute,\u201d the press release read. <\/p>\n

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said that for years, federal agencies \u201cabused\u201d the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people\u2019s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What does it mean for Utah?<\/p>\n

The Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office says the Endangered Species Act should be \u201ca framework for recovery, not a permanent designation,\u201d according to its website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, species often remain on the list for decades, without proper analysis or in contrast to the best available science,\u201d the guidance says.<\/p>\n

The state takes a \u201cmanagement-first\u201d approach \u2014 one that quickly delists species after they have recovered rather than keeping them under federal protection indefinitely. <\/p>\n

The office pointed to the Ute ladies\u2019-tresses \u2014 a rare wildflower \u2014 as an example. It has been listed under the ESA for decades \u201cdespite scientific evidence demonstrating they exist throughout the West in large, thriving populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has adversely affected water and grazing projects throughout the State,\u201d the office said. <\/p>\n

The state\u2019s internal posture is opposite of the current lawsuit \u2014 shrinking federal involvement, not defending it. <\/p>\n

The public lands office did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. <\/p>\n