The Trump administration just finalized regulations to dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act -- our most effective law for protecting wildlife in danger of extinction. Since President Nixon signed the law in 1973, hundreds of species have been saved from disappearing forever, including our national symbol – the bald eagle.
But the Trump Extinction Plan weakens endangered species protections by making it harder to protect species listed as threatened, delaying lifesaving action until a species' population is so small it may be impossible to save.
These news rules also exempt climate change from key parts of the law, making it more difficult to protect the polar bear and many other imperiled species that are impacted by the effects of climate change.