Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC— Today, the Biden Administration announced it will review Trump’s multi-faceted rollbacks to endangered and threatened species protections-- including Trump’s gutting of the regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act, stripping of protections for millions of acres of habitat for the northern spotted owl, the delisting of the gray wolf, stripping protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, amongst many other environmental rollbacks.
“We are encouraged that the incoming Biden administration will review the anti-science, pro-polluter actions issued under Trump. In the middle of the overlapping extinction and climate crises, we need decisions based on the best science and future recovery of endangered and threatened species,” said Bonnie Rice, Endangered Species Campaign Representative at the Sierra Club. “Fully enforcing the Endangered Species Act and restoring protections for at-risk species will ensure the natural systems that we all depend upon are balanced and protected, which has immense benefits for local economies, the environment, and our ability to save nature.”
Background:
Last week, environmental organizations filed several lawsuits against last-minute, anti-endangered species rollbacks in Trump’s last days as president, and celebrated the Biden administration’s immediate decision to review the legality and science of these decisions.
In addition to reinstating Endangered Species Act safeguards, Sierra Club is advocating for the shared goal of protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030-- an effort that will protect more habitat, and provide clean water and air benefits for communities.
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.