“The Court spoke to species that desperately need comprehensive federal protection without compromise,” said Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles. “Endangered and threatened species cannot afford to wait under rules that do not protect them.”
Trump’s revision changed how the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration considered whether species qualify for federal protection. It could have significantly lengthened the time it takes to protect a species, resulting in some species being removed from protection.
A coalition of environmental groups — including Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity — and the state of California had sued the Biden administration to reverse the changes.
Last year, the Biden administration announced it planned to review and make changes to actions taken under former President Donald Trump. However, some environmental groups were frustrated by what they believed was the current government’s slow pace.
“Trump’s release of endangered species protections should have been rescinded on the first day of the Biden presidency,” said Noah Greenwald, director of endangered species at the Center for Biological Diversity. “With today’s court decision, the Services can finally continue the business of protecting and recovering endangered species.”
Boyles told CNN that the Biden administration’s Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service have stopped working on their review and asked the California judge to send the rules back to the agencies without vacating them.
“We’re really disappointed with the Fish and Wildlife Service,” Boyles said. “They said that last June, but they stopped. They didn’t do any work. That’s practically why this court order had to happen.”
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California Jon Tigar said the Biden administration “has shown no desire to keep the 2019 ESA rules intact,” making the decision to vacate the Trump rule an easy one.
Tyler Cherry, a spokesman for the Interior Department, told CNN that the department is reviewing the decision.
The Trump-era changes were widely seen as an industry-friendly move to make it easier for fossil fuel companies to drill or mine. Boyles said it has had resounding negative effects both on species that were waiting to be protected and on species like endangered and threatened salmon that have been affected for years by dams on the Snake River.
“I hope the service decisions are made better,” Boyles said of the return to the longstanding rules. “These regulations changed a lot of things; they were sweeping changes in how species are listed or how their habitats are protected.”
Greg Wallace and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
