The White House has begun reviewing Endangered Species Act rule changes that target policies crafted during the Biden administration.
The ESA regulatory package submitted Friday by the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries would rewrite key rules governing the designation of critical habitat, the listing of protected species and other core elements of the landmark environmental law.
While key details remain under wraps, the review now underway by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a component of the Office of Management and Budget, signals a formal public proposal is on the horizon. The OIRA review also gives advocates from all sides a chance to weigh in while the proposal is still being polished.
“The Trump administration’s sick desire to dismantle every one of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws will set us back decades, and sabotaging the Endangered Species Act is deeply unpopular,” Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an email Monday, adding that “these reckless attempts to strip away protections for our most vulnerable wildlife will be met with swift opposition from the American people.”
