The White House Monday announced it’s changing how it enforces the Endangered Species Act. A key change is analyzing the cost of protecting any given species.
The Endangered Species Act specifically prohibits cost from being a deciding factor. While that won’t change, US Fish and Wild Life officials will disclose the costs to the public, PBS reports. According to conservation groups, one revision also wouldn’t allow officials to consider climate change as a factor for protection. Blanket protection for threatened species would also be ended. US Fish and Wildlife Service assistant director Gary Frazer dismisses accusations that the administration is effectively gutting the Endangered Species Act. He says the changes aren’t radical and instead bring transparency to the process.
What do you think of the proposed changes? Do you care about the cost of protecting wildlife? Should all wildlife be protected?
Breaking News: The Trump administration announced plans to significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act, the nation’s bedrock conservation law https://t.co/jZYwFeVdxP
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 12, 2019
