New York wildlife could see severe impacts from a proposal to weaken the Endangered Species Act. The federal government is proposing to revert the law to its 2019-2020 framework to improve regulatory predictability, align federal action with the “best” interpretation of the law, and strengthen American energy independence.
Jewel Tomasula, national policy director with the Endangered Species Coalition, said this change puts the administration’s “Drill, Baby, Drill” agenda and economic interests ahead of wildlife protections.
“They’re pointing at developments that would make money for a few people over the health of nature and our future generations, having these wonderful wildlife and biodiversity experiences,” she explained. “So, we find this extremely disappointing, but it’s in line with all the decisions that have been made.”
The 52-year-old law is responsible for populations of New York’s piping plover and other grassland birds rebounding among the 1,600 species that have seen similar benefits. But, the Endangered Species Act has already run into barriers such as funding decreases by Congress, which have only grown as the administration cuts agency budgets.
People have 30 days to provide comments about the proposed rule changes. Most feedback on the proposal has been negative, with polls showing most Americans favor maintaining current protections. Tomasula said the ramifications of this proposal would harm habitat protections for threatened species such as bog turtles in New York.
“With habitat being the top driver for species extinction, all species need a safe place to live, feed and breed. If we can’t protect their habitat, then they can’t recover,” she continued.
One species acting as a barometer for Endangered Species Act changes is the monarch butterfly, given its populations are declining. There are plans to list them as threatened under the ESA, although the rule change would delay protections accompanying the status change. Tomasula said this law, in its current form, would help monarch butterfly populations thrive.
“Bringing back the monarch butterfly will take habitat protections as well as putting checks on pesticide use, and so that crosses industries, that crosses state lines,” she continued.
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