Trump admin scraps ‘weaponized’ wildlife rule that became 'burden' on American families and businesses: Burgum

By Fox News · Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: The Interior and Commerce Departments are scrapping a sweeping Endangered Species Act (ESA) rule that officials say past administrations "weaponized" to block energy production, logging, infrastructure projects and private citizens' land use. Officials pointed to several ESA-listed species they say triggered undue or burdensome restrictions by treating habitat modification as potential "harm" to protected species, purportedly expanding the ESA's "harm" provision. "For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox News Digital. "That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended." BIDEN-ERA ENVIRO RULE ACCUSED OF STRANGLING TRUCKERS, SQUEEZING AMERICANS LANDS ON TRUMP CHOPPING BLOCK On Friday, the Interior and Commerce Departments announced they are rescinding the 'outdated' regulatory definition of 'harm' and returning the Endangered Species Act's interpretation to its original intent to end years of federal overreach. The administration is relying in part on the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, which overturned "Chevron deference" and held that courts must use independent judgment when interpreting federal statutes rather than deferring to an agency’s preferred reading of ambiguous law. The rule change therefore aims to align regulations with the "single best" meaning of a statute rather than letting it be "contort[ed] to fit a political agenda," officials said. LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATS Officials pointed to the dunes sagebrush lizard, which the Biden administration listed as endangered in 2024, as an example of what they view as speculative habitat-based restrictions. Officials argued the change led to unnecessary restrictions on energy projects in Te…