Burning it all down on the way out:
The Trump administration on Tuesday narrowed habitat protections for endangered species, finalizing its second major rollback to the Endangered Species Act.
The latest rule narrows the definition of habitat to areas that can currently support a species, a move environmentalists say ignores the changing climate or efforts that could be made to modify a landscape.
Numerous studies have found the globe is in the midst of an extinction crisis, with species dwindling as their habitat shrinks due to logging, agriculture, human expansion and climate change.
Before joining the Trump administration, Interior Sec. David Bernhardt was a lobbyist for Haliburton, Cobalt Energy, the Independent Petroleum Association, and similarly dastardly outfits. In June, Bernhardt unveiled a plan to allow drilling off Florida’s Gulf coast, but only after the November election. He last appeared on JMG when he rushed through arctic drilling leases ahead of the Biden takeover.
To be clear: The Trump admin released a rule today that significantly rolls back protections for critical habitat per the Endangered Species Act.
They’re too busy gutting laws to protect vulnerable species in the middle of a climate & extinction crisis.https://t.co/lT90WpxOLO
— Courtney Bourgoin (@CourtBourgoin) December 15, 2020
BREAKING: The monarch butterfly will have to wait to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the butterfly’s population has fallen enough to qualify, but there are other species in line ahead of it. https://t.co/6zH8iWcLIZ
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 15, 2020