Trump rule change: destroying wildlife habitat no longer counts as harm
Unless a bulldozer physically rolls over a bald eagle, the federal government officially does not care what happens to its nest.
For fifty years, federal law said that if a species is endangered, chopping down its forest or polluting its water counts as illegal harm. Animals generally prefer having a place to live, so that made sense.
That just changed. Under a new rule pushed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the administration redefined "harm" to only include actions that directly kill or injure wildlife. Destroying the entire ecosystem where a species eats and raises its young is now totally fine, as long as no individual animal gets crushed in the process.
Officials claim this restores common sense and protects private property from rogue federal oversight. Environmental groups like Earthjustice are already packing their legal bags for court.
It turns out a species can officially be protected while its entire home gets turned into a shopping mall parking lot.
Source: Department of the Interior
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