Restore Habitat Protections for Endangered Species
The Trump administration has rolled back decades of longstanding environmental law by repealing a crucial part of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protecting the habitats of threatened species of fish, plants, and animals.
Despite public outcry, a crucial part of the ESA has been changed, redefining “harm” to exclude habitat destruction. For fifty years, “harm” included the destruction of habitats that protected species need to breed, feed, or shelter, a definition that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995. Under the new rule, only directly killing or injuring an animal is prohibited, while bulldozing its nesting ground or draining its wetland are not.
The rule change takes effect September 14 and opens protected habitats to logging, mining, drilling, and real estate development. In response to this destructive change, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) have introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 9901 the Safeguarding Endangered Species Act, that would nullify the rule and restore the fifty-year-old definition of harm.
Call your House representative to cosponsor and support H.R. 9901, and pressure your Senators to introduce companion legislation in the Senate, to protect the habitats endangered species depend on for survival.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
**[IF CALLING HOUSE]: I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to support H.R. 9901, the Safeguarding Endangered Species Act, to restore the original definition of “harm.” Habitat loss is the primary driver of extinction and opening protected land to logging, mining, and drilling would be devastating to so many species across the country.
[IF CALLING SENATE]: I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to introduce legislation similar to H.R. 9901, the Safeguarding Endangered Species Act, to restore the original definition of “harm.” Habitat loss is the primary driver of extinction and opening protected land to logging, mining, and drilling would be devastating to so many species across the country.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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