By Mehek Kapoor
Massachusetts joined 16 other states and New York City on Sept. 25 in suing the Trump Administration over its decision to weaken the Endangered Species Act by lowering the protections surrounding threatened species and making it easier to remove a species from the list.
The coalition, which is jointly led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, specifically named the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Services as the defendants, according to a press release from Healey’s office.
The new rules, which were announced in August, will make it harder for regulators to factor in how building infrastructure projects will affect species and their habitats, paving the path for companies build oil and other fossil fuel projects in areas populated by protected species, according to the New York Times.
Following the announcement of the lawsuit, Healey said in the press release that it was important to oppose these changes immediately, especially as the world stands at the brink of a “climate emergency” and “global extinction crisis” affecting millions of species.
“The Trump Administration is gutting Endangered Species Act protections to pave the way for oil and gas developments,” Healey said. “We are suing to defend federal law and protect our imperiled wildlife and environment.”
In a video posted to her official Facebook account on Sept. 25, Healey called the Endangered Species Act a “landmark, bipartisan effort” which has been successful at saving 99 percent of its protected species from extinction.
“Now, the Trump administration wants to gut it,” Healey said. “This sounds like a plan from a cartoon villain. Unfortunately, it’s not.”
Healey said in the video that she promised to stop President Trump from putting the needs of oil companies before the community and the environment.
“The thing is, the Trump administration’s plan is reckless and illegal, and we’re suing to stop it,” Healey said. “We wont let them threaten our communities and our environment just so big oil can make a quick buck.”
The Endangered Species Act has been one of the country’s most successful environmental laws since its implementation in 1973, as it gave environmental regulators the tools to protect species and their habitats, saving many species from near extinction, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit that advocates for greater environmental protection.
Success stories include the whooping crane, the American crocodile and the bald eagle, according to the Center.
Joseph Rodriguez, 20, of Roxbury, said he felt strongly about preventing the extended suffering these species will have to endure.
“I’m not going to sit here and see, you know, a nationally close to extinct species animal go away,” Rodriguez said. “It’s like … how can you sit down and watch somebody get hurt.”
Anika Jain, 20, of Back Bay, said it was important not to accept these new rules as there will be a severe negative environmental impact in the long run.
“If we don’t allow these dying species and habitats to thrive in these current times, judging by how much climate change is affecting us already, it’ll massively affect our ecosystems in the future too.” Jain said.
Kenny Harvey, 52, of Brighton said he is concerned that the new rules will harm the environment but was confident that the states will be successful in blocking these changes.
“I’ll give it six months,” Harvey said. “[The states will] probably have it straightened out by Christmas.”
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