Trump and endangered species

Apparently, his administration doesn't like them. Why else would they decide to change how the Endangered Species Act is interpreted. We've had the act since 1973. It’s been credited with helping the rebound of the bald eagle, the grizzly bear, the humpback whale, and many other species living throughout the US and in its waterways. About 83 percent of Americans according to an Ohio State University poll approve of the act the way it is. And it works: According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the act has prevented the “extinction of 99 percent of the species it protects.”

One area of change concerns the effect of time. The administration states, “The Services will describe the foreseeable future on a case-by-case basis.” The effects of climate change that may occur several decades from now are not to be considered. Another concerns the importance of scientific findings. Until now, the agencies that enforce the act have had to base their decisions of whether to protect a species solely on scientific data, “without reference to possible economic or other impacts of such determination.” The administration now says “The Act does not prohibit the [government] from compiling economic information or presenting that information to the public.”