Contact: Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized a rule change that alters the process for designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. This will weaken the ability to designate critical habitat for at-risk species and prioritize economics over science. Read the final rule here.
In response, Bonnie Rice, Endangered Species Campaign Representative at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“This latest gutting of the Endangered Species Act is a nightmare for wildlife which are facing unprecedented threats to their survival in the face of a changing climate and massive habitat loss."
“In the midst of a mass global extinction— the first in planetary history caused by humans— we should be following the best science and acting urgently and boldly to save biodiversity. But the Trump administration is spending their last days attacking science, stripping environmental safeguards and paving the way for extractive industry to the detriment of wildlife, lands and waters and our communities."
“The science is clear that we need to protect 30% of remaining intact lands and waters in the U.S. by 2030 to avoid the worst of the climate and extinction crises. We need to be protecting more habitat, not less. The Biden administration must act urgently to undo the damage of their predecessors, protect habitat, and save biodiversity before it is too late.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.