The Interior Department of the United States announced significant changes that experts believe will weaken the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
Experts believe that the move is going to allow more gas and oil drilling and will affect climate in a huge way.
The latest move by the administration of Trump overhauls the environmental frameworks of the United States, and in this case, a law that is credited with saving the grizzly bear and the bald eagle from going extinct.
The move also changes how the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration qualify species that are in need of protection.
The move affects how agencies are going to determine what habitats deserve special protection.
As a defense to what experts are saying, the administration of President Trump says their moves are going to allow them to focus on the “rarest species” in the US.
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David Bernhard, the Interior Secretary of the United States, released a statement on Monday.
Secretary Bernhardt said, “The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal — recovery of our rarest species.”
He added, “An effectively administered Act ensures more resources can go where they will do the most good: on-the-ground conservation.”
Environmental groups did not support the plan of Secretary Bernhard.
David Bernhardt has previously represented gas and oil companies.
Drew Caputo, the vice president of Earthjustice, released a statement about the changes.
VP Caputo said, “This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it’s a gift to industry, and it’s illegal. We’ll see the Trump administration in court about it.”
Environmental groups in the United States are expected to sue the Trump administration.
The North American Wolverine, the northern spotted owl, and the American burying beetle are expected to be affected by the moves made by Trump’s administration.
As of now, over 1600 species of animals are considered to be endangered in the United States of America.
A report that was released by the United Nations states that human actions are disrupting the natural world and is placing millions of animals at risk of extinction around the world.
The report added that at least 680 vertebrate species have gone extinct in the last 400 years.
The changes are also said to weaken the ability of scientists to protect the endangered species in the USA.