Trump administration attempt to gut Endangered Species Act hits roadblock

existential risk Trump administration attempt to gut Endangered Species Act hits roadblock House vote to defang the Endangered Species Act was unexpectedly cancelled Kiley Price, Inside Climate News – Apr 24, 2026 9:17 am | 72 The northern spotted owl is practically the poster child for the Endangered Species Act. Credit: By Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US - Fledgling Northern Spotted Owls, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68988708 The northern spotted owl is practically the poster child for the Endangered Species Act. Credit: By Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US - Fledgling Northern Spotted Owls, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68988708 Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have spent the last year trying to defang the Endangered Species Act, the country’s bedrock conservation law. But one of the most aggressive and far-reaching attempts just faced a major setback—and concerns from within the party were at least part of the reason. Republicans in the US House of Representatives abruptly canceled a vote that had been scheduled for Wednesday—Earth Day—on legislation that aims to codify into law many of President Donald Trump’s moves to weaken endangered species protections. Some lawmakers, mostly in tourism-dependent areas along the Gulf of Mexico, expressed concerns about the bill. “Don’t tread on my turtles. Protected means protected,” US Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote in a social media post on Monday ahead of the then-pending vote. The vote cancellation came weeks after the Trump administration issued a controversial—and legally dubious—exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from conservation measures required by the Endangered Species Act. The ESA Amendments Act, introduced by US Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), would limit habitat protections, require agencies to conduct economic and national security analyses when determining whether to list a plant or animal as endangered or threatened, extend the deadlines required for listing decisions and fast-track the delisting process. Westerman’s office did not respond to a request for comment on why the vote was canceled. The nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife released a letter on Monday signed by more than 275 organizations urging representatives to vote no, citing concerns that it would “prioritize politics over science.” The group sees the canceled vote as a signal that “the proponents of this bill finally got the message that this bill is just wildly out of step with where the American public is,” said Mary Beth Beetham, director of legislative affairs at Defenders of Wildlife. “It’s a complete rewrite of the Endangered Species Act, and there’s not one provision in the bill that would make it more likely that species would recover. In fact, it would most likely make it more likely that species would continue to decline,” she said. “This bill should just die of its own weight.” Patrick Parenteau, an emeritus law professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, said the Republican representatives may have jumped ship for one specific reason. “I can’t tell how much of the opposition is about defending the Endangered Species Act, as opposed to preventing oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida,” Parenteau said.…

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