US states sue Trump over weakening of endangered species protections

Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, DC, say government has illegally rolled back landmark protections.A group of attorneys general in the United States have sued President Donald Trump’s administration for weakening protections for endangered species.The group of 20 Democratic-led states, plus the District of Columbia, filed two lawsuits on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US exempts Gulf of Mexico oil drillers from endangered species protectionslist 2 of 3Trump threatens Canada with steeper tariff costs over wildfire smokelist 3 of 3Trump administration moves to end rule protecting swaths of forest landend of listThe complaints come less than two months after the Department of Interior and Department of Commerce announced final rules that could make it easier for companies to develop sensitive lands that are home to endangered species.“The Trump administration is trying to undermine the law, the will of Congress and the will of the people who overwhelmingly support protections for endangered species,” Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown said at a news conference.“Instead of stewardship, this administration’s approach to our land, to our water, is one of exploitation.”One of the two lawsuits argues that the government has unlawfully narrowed the definition of “harm” in the 1973 Endangered Species Act, a landmark piece of legislation to protect animals and plants at risk of extinction.“Harm”, under the law, has long been interpreted to include threats to those species’ habitats.But the Trump administration’s new rule marks a “reversal of staggering proportions”, the states argued.It would open the door to activities such as mining and oil drilling in sensitive habitats so long as they are not “directed immediately and intentionally” at particular animals.Environmental groups have also sued over the change.The second lawsuit filed on Wednesday challenges two new rules. One eliminates wide protections for newly-threatened species unless the US Fish and Wildlife Service creates species-specific regulations.