The Trump administration has unveiled changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Among other provisions, the new rules make it more difficult to consider climate change when deciding whether or not a species should be listed. They also allow, for the first time, officials to consider economic impacts, in addition to scientific ones. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says the changes will modernize the Endangered Species Act.
Bernhardt says if the ESA is to be effective, it has to include “clear, consistent and efficient implementation.” And, he said, the feds need collaboration between government and private land owners.
But environmentalists disagree, saying these changes would weaken the 45-year-old law. Brett Hartl is director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, and he joined The Show to talk about the changes.
The new rules will go into effect 30 days after they’re officially published in the federal register.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
