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Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists

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Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists
News

News

Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists

2025-04-17 09:05 Last Updated At:09:11

The Trump administration plans to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species in a move environmentalists say would lead to the extinction of critically endangered species because of logging, mining, development and other activities.

At issue is a long-standing definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act, which has included altering or destroying the places those species live. Habitat destruction is the biggest cause of extinction, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service said in a proposed rule issued Wednesday that habitat modification should not be considered harm because it is not the same as intentionally targeting a species, called “take.” Environmentalists argue that the definition of “take,” though, has always included actions that harm species, and the definition of “harm” has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The proposed rule “cuts the heart out of the Endangered Species Act,” Greenwald said. “If (you) say harm doesn’t mean significant habitat degradation or modification, then it really leaves endangered species out in the cold.”

For example, he said spotted owls and Florida panthers both are protected because the current rule forbids habitat destruction. But if the new rule is adopted, someone who logs in a forest or builds a development would be unimpeded as long as they could say they didn't intend to harm an endangered species, he said.

The proposed rule was expected to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman referred The Associated Press to the Department of Interior, which declined to comment.

Environmental groups will challenge the rule in court if it is adopted, said Drew Caputo, an attorney at Earthjustice.

He said the proposal “threatens a half-century of progress in protecting and restoring endangered species,” including bald eagles, gray wolves, Florida manatees and humpback whales. He said that is because the current rule “recognizes the common-sense concept that destroying a forest, beach, river, or wetland that a species relies on for survival constitutes harm to that species.”

The question is whether the Trump administration is entitled to repeal a rule that was upheld specifically by the Supreme Court and therefore subject to precedent, said Patrick Parenteau, an emeritus professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School who has handled endangered species cases.

Because of the current definition of harm, “many, many millions of acres of land has been conserved” to help keep species alive, he said.

The issue is of particular concern in Hawaii. The islands have more endangered species than any other state — 40% of the nation’s federally listed threatened and endangered species — even though Hawaii has less than 1% of the land area, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Maxx Philipps, Hawaii and Pacific Islands director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said removing these safeguards will accelerate Hawaii’s extinction crisis and erode the biological and cultural heritage of the islands.

She pointed to the example of tiny native bees that forage on and pollinate coastal dune plants. Very little oceanfront property remains undeveloped and what is left tends to be fragmented pockets. Other listed species living on the shoreline — like green sea turtles –- could also lose their homes if protections are removed.

“Habitat is life, right?" she said. "And without it, there is no recovery and without recovery, there is only extinction.”

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Hawaii contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE - A baby manatee swimming beside its mother comes to the surface to breathe, at Manatee Lagoon, in Riviera Beach, Fla., Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE - A baby manatee swimming beside its mother comes to the surface to breathe, at Manatee Lagoon, in Riviera Beach, Fla., Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE - Cut down trees are visible at the site of a timber sale in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Camptonville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Cut down trees are visible at the site of a timber sale in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Camptonville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday he will run in next month’s presidential election and would seek to lessen the powers of the office and ease strife-ridden domestic politics if he wins.

Han’s entry heats up the scramble among conservatives to unify behind a candidate to compete with liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung, whose campaign recently was set back by a court decision to open a new trial on election law violation charges.

“I’ve determined to find what I can do for the future of the Republic of Korea that I love and for all of us. I’ll try my utmost to be chosen by the people at this presidential election," Han told a press conference at the National Assembly.

South Korea is holding an early presidential election on June 3 after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his imposition of martial law. Han was appointed prime minister, the No. 2 post, by Yoon, and he served as acting leader after Yoon was suspended and later removed from office.

Han also was prime minister under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008 and has served as trade minister, finance minister and ambassador to the U.S. during his 40-year career in public service. He has never held elected office but has risen politically as the main conservative People Power Party struggles in the wake of Yoon’s ouster.

Han does not belong to a political party, but contenders in the PPP have said they are willing to field a single candidate among them and Han. PPP members are scheduled to nominate their party's candidate Saturday.

Han said that if elected, he would launch a body to amend the constitution so the president and the assembly share powers based on the principle of checks and balances. His revisions would also bar the political circle and the judiciary branch from meddling in each other's sectors.

In South Korea, executive power is heavily concentrated on a president, and there have been calls for change.

The election June 3 will give the new president a full, single five-year term. But Han said he would serve three years to finish the constitutional revision and then leave.

Han said he would also use his expertise on economic affairs to resolve trade issues with the U.S. over President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

Lee's main liberal opposition Democratic Party stepped up its offensive against Han, saying he is abandoning his duties as the government's caretaker and lacks the moral standing to run for the presidency as a No. 2 official in the Yoon administration, responsible for many policy failures.

“We warn to former Prime Minister Han. Don't hide your greed with a lie that you are running for the people,” party spokesperson Noh Jongmyun said.

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo bows after a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo bows after a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives to hold a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives to hold a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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