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Sam's News — conservation — 2026-09-26

Conservation

8 Trump Administration Removes Habitat Protections from Endangered Species Act

The president of the United States finalized a rule on July 10, 2026, removing the regulatory definition of "harm" from the Endangered Species Act, eliminating decades-old habitat protection for endangered wildlife. The change, effective September 14, 2026, allows habitat destruction to proceed without legal consequence as long as animals are not directly killed, fundamentally weakening endangered species protections across the nation.

  • Rule removes regulatory definition of 'harm' to include habitat degradation, effective September 14, 2026
  • Habitat destruction no longer counts as illegal 'take' under the Endangered Species Act
  • Change reverses 30+ years of legal interpretation upheld in 1995 Supreme Court decision (Babbitt v. Sweet Home)
  • Habitat loss is identified as the primary driver of extinction for endangered species
  • Farming, drilling, mining, logging, and development can now proceed in endangered species habitats without federal restriction

Sources: Mongabay AI Web Searched, Center for Biological Diversity AI Web Searched