Nearly two dozen states sue federal agencies over weakened Endangered Species Act rules
State attorneys general from roughly twenty states have filed lawsuits in the Northern District of California seeking to overturn three Trump-era changes to the Endangered Species Act.
Around twenty state attorneys general, including Rob Bonta of California and Nick Brown of Washington, have sued the Trump Administration in a California federal court over three recent revisions to the Endangered Species Act. The challenged rules redefine “harm,” narrow critical-habitat designations by allowing cost-based exclusions, and eliminate automatic safeguards for newly listed threatened species, replacing them with optional, species-specific measures.
The states contend the changes breach the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and they request that the court nullify the regulations. They cite the law’s role in protecting iconic wildlife such as the bald eagle, grizzly bear, blue whale and Western bumblebee. The attorneys general emphasized the scientific and moral shortcomings of the revisions, quoting Kant to underscore the importance of animal welfare. Federal agencies have not responded to requests for comment.
Why it matters
The lawsuits could restore key federal protections for hundreds of threatened species across the United States.
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