Environmental groups sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its decision to remove habitat protections for endangered species.
The pair of lawsuits comes as the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries finalized a move to delete their regulations’ definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, upending 50 years of the law’s implementation and stripping imperiled species of safeguards for the places they live.
Two lawsuits filed Tuesday challenge that decision, arguing they will inevitably harm species that are protected under the law.
“This is war on the forests and rivers of the West,” said Pete Frost, an attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center representing some of the plaintiffs, in a statement. “No longer protecting where grizzlies, salmon, and owls live will make them go extinct. We’re hopeful the court will clarify what the Endangered Species Act has always meant.”
