The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration last week to force the release of public records on a proposed rollback of key Endangered Species Act protections for marine wildlife, including the potential political or industry influences behind the change.
Last week’s lawsuit seeks documents from the Department of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency within Commerce responsible for safeguarding endangered whales, sea turtles, corals, and other imperiled marine life.
The proposed Trump rule would rescind the long-standing regulatory definition of “harm,” which includes “significant habitat modification or degradation” that kills or injures protected species. That definition has been a cornerstone of endangered species protection since it was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Babbitt v. Sweet Home in 1995.
The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. Weakening the definition of “harm” would undermine this obligation, making it harder to protect areas essential to species’ survival and recovery. The Act has a success rate of more than 99% at preventing extinction and is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, follows a similar Center suit earlier last month seeking records from the Department of the Interior, which oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Last week’s action broadens the effort to expose potential drivers behind the rollback of habitat protections for both terrestrial and marine species.
More than 150,000 people have submitted comments opposing the proposed rollback. Scientific organizations and legal scholars have also urged the administration to withdraw the rule, warning it would severely impair conservation efforts amid a global extinction crisis.
