Saving Endangered Species Polls at 84%. So Why Does Trump Keep Doing the Opposite?

A bully’s favorite tactic is to push you when you’re down. That’s just what the Trump administration is doing to species on the brink of extinction.

In November, the administration proposed yet another list of actions that would rip protections from imperiled wildlife. The newest rules try to undermine the Endangered Species Act (ESA), our country’s bedrock conservation law that’s prevented thousands of plant and animal species from disappearing, including bald eagles, gray wolves, grizzly bears, and humpback whales.

The law has been wildly popular with the American public since its enactment in 1970. But for just as long, corporations that want to drill, mine, log, or develop the lands where imperiled species live have lobbied against the ESA and its protections for these habitat areas. Extractive industries that poured millions of dollars into Trump’s re-election campaign are calling the shots, instead of the four out of five Americans who support saving endangered species.

But hope isn’t lost for species on the brink. Here’s how the Trump administration is targeting endangered species and their habitats for corporate profits – and how you can help.

A gray wolf walking in snow taken in Yellowstone National Park. (Stan Tekiela / Getty Images)

Much like Trump tried to do during his first administration, these rollbacks aim to make it easier for industries to get away with harming endangered species and their habitat.

Eliminating automatic protections for species listed as threatened

The ESA prohibits hunting, killing, or otherwise harming any species as soon as it receives an “endangered” designation. Now, species that are being proposed for listing as threatened, like the Florida manatee, California spotted owl, greater sage grouse, and monarch butterfly, could be left unprotected for years – until it’s too late.

A manatee and her calf swim in the shallow water of Crystal River in Florida. (Gregory Sweeney / Getty Images)

Opening the door for industry to destroy critical habitat

The Trump administration is also creating loopholes for industries to more easily wreck animals’ habitats – even though habit destruction is the number one cause of extinction.

The ESA prohibits destroying the lands and waters that imperiled species need to survive. Many forests, rivers, wetlands, and other wild places have been preserved through this policy, and the Supreme Court has affirmed that they are rightfully protected under the law. Yet this spring, the Trump administration proposed stripping away the ESA’s core habitat protections.

The administration also recently proposed slashing protections for species’ historic habitat – the places they once naturally roamed before their population declined. It’s imperative to protect those areas from destructive activities while a species rebuilds – not only so they can one day return, but also to protect areas that are shrinking due to our rapidly changing climate.

A grizzly in Wyoming’s Rocky Mountains. (Scott Suriano / Getty Images)

Smoothing the path for destructive projects

Finally, the administration wants the government to prioritize “economic considerations” like corporate profits over science when it makes decisions about species’ survival– something the law specifically forbids. With this rule, the federal government could decide against protecting an endangered species after considering lost revenue from stopping a mining or logging project where an imperiled species lives.

A humpback whale lunge feeds on anchovies in Monterey Bay, California. (Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images / Getty Images)

What you can do

By limiting the ESA’s effectiveness, Trump’s actions defy public opinion, scientific opposition, and the law. The public has until December 22 to submit comments on the latest set of proposed rules.