SACRAMENTO August 12, 2019 – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey today issued the following statements in response to the announcement by the Trump Administration of its final rule rolling back key provisions of the Endangered Species Act:
“As we face the unprecedented threat of a climate emergency, now is the time to strengthen our planet’s biodiversity, not to destroy it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Our precious wildlife and ecosystems are in critical danger. By rolling back the Endangered Species Act the Trump Administration would be putting a nail in our coffin – all for the sake of boosting the profits of those putting these species at risk in the first place. We’re ready to fight to preserve this important law – the species with whom we share this planet, and depend on, deserve no less.”
“By gutting key components of the Endangered Species Act, one of our country’s most successful environmental laws, the Trump Administration is putting our most imperiled species and our vibrant local tourism and recreation industries at risk,” said Attorney General Healey. “We will be taking the Administration to court to defend federal law and protect our rare animals, plants, and the environment.”
For over 45 years, the Endangered Species Act has protected thousands of iconic and threatened species, including the bald eagle, California condor, grizzly bear, and humpback whale. The Trump Administration’s rule would dramatically weaken current protections and reduce federal Endangered Species Act enforcement and consultation, putting these endangered species and their habitats at risk of extinction.
In September 2018, Attorney General Becerra, leading a coalition of ten state attorneys general, submitted a comment letter describing critical flaws with the proposed rollbacks by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.