Science
The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the US government to force the release of public records on a proposed rollback of key Endangered Species Act protections for marine wildlife, including whales.
The lawsuit seeks documents from the US Commerce Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency within Commerce responsible for safeguarding endangered whales, sea turtles, corals and other imperiled ocean life.
David Derrick, a staff attorney at the center, said:
“The public has a right to know who’s attacking protections for endangered whales and sea turtles. Marine animals already suffer from warming oceans and constant ship traffic in their habitat. If Trump strips away one of the most important safeguards these vulnerable ocean species have, many more of these beautiful animals will die.”
The proposed rule would rescind the long-standing regulatory definition of “harm,” which includes “significant habitat modification or degradation” that kills or injures protected species. That definition has been a cornerstone of endangered species protection since it was upheld by the US Supreme Court in Babbitt v. Sweet Home in 1995, according to the center.
The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. Weakening the definition of “harm” would undermine this obligation, making it harder to protect areas essential to species’ survival and recovery, the center contends, adding that the legislation has a success rate of more than 99% at preventing extinction.
According to Derrick:
“Marine animals obviously can’t survive without healthy oceans and intact habitats. It’s nonsensical to think you can destroy a species’ home and expect it to be ok, but that’s what this Orwellian definition change implies. We won’t let Trump’s attempted rollback happen in the dark.”
John Lianghttps://www.deeperblue.com/
John Liang is the News Editor at DeeperBlue.com. He first got the diving bug while in High School in Cairo, Egypt, where he earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification in the Red Sea off the Sinai Peninsula. Since then, John has dived in a volcanic lake in Guatemala, among white-tipped sharks off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and other places including a pool in Las Vegas helping to break the world record for the largest underwater press conference.