(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) US states sue Trump over weakening of endangered species protections | Wildlife News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/10/us-states-sue-trump-over-weakening-of-endangered-species-protections)                                               (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/10/us-states-sue-trump-over-weakening-of-endangered-species-protections)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/afp_6aa1d90e93de-1788991758.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/afp_6aa1d90e93de-1788991758.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.25927f0e.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.c65718e9.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blog-container~containers~72501995.3d2cbba2.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~pages/amp-article~pages/article-page~493df0b3.1e546aab.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.5839b1ed.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (us-states-sue-trump-over-weakening-of-endangered-species-protections@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/this-is-america/2026/7/28/trump-netanyahu-and-the-iran-question) Trump, Netanyahu and the Iran question   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/10/trump-vows-to-be-at-centre-of-us-midterms-republican-convention-takeaways) Trump vows to be at centre of US midterms   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/the-bottom-line/2026/5/24/how-will-iran-war-fallout-impact-upcoming-us-elections) How Iran war fallout may shape US elections   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/5/19/how-the-shape-of-a-map-can-determine-the-us-midterm-elections) A visual guide to redistricting     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/wildlife/) Wildlife   US states sue Trump over weakening of endangered species protections Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, DC, say government has illegally rolled back landmark protections.   Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share US states sue Trump over weakening of endangered species protections on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffsdumu) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US%20states%20sue%20Trump%20over%20weakening%20of%20endangered%20species%20protections&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffsdumu) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Ffsdumu) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/fsdumu)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 9, 2026.)   US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 9, 2026 [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters   Published On 10 Sep 2026 10 Sep 2026    A group of attorneys general in the United States have sued President Donald Trump’s administration for weakening protections for (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/31/us-exempts-gulf-of-mexico-oil-drillers-from-endangered-species-protections) endangered species . The group of 20 Democratic-led states, plus the District of Columbia, filed two lawsuits on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/31/us-exempts-gulf-of-mexico-oil-drillers-from-endangered-species-protections) US exempts Gulf of Mexico oil drillers from endangered species protections  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/trump-threatens-canada-with-steeper-tariff-costs-over-wildfire-smoke) Trump threatens Canada with steeper tariff costs over wildfire smoke  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/18/trump-administration-moves-to-end-rule-protecting-swaths-of-forest-land) Trump administration moves to end rule protecting swaths of forest land   end of list  The complaints come less than two months after the Department of Interior and Department of Commerce announced final rules that could make it easier for companies to develop sensitive lands that are home to endangered species. “The Trump administration is trying to undermine the law, the will of Congress and the will of the people who overwhelmingly support protections for endangered species,” Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown said at a news conference. “Instead of stewardship, this administration’s approach to our land, to our water, is one of exploitation.” One of the two lawsuits argues that the government has unlawfully narrowed the definition of “harm” in the 1973 Endangered Species Act, a landmark piece of legislation to protect animals and plants at risk of extinction. “Harm”, under the law, has long been interpreted to include threats to those species’ habitats.      But the Trump administration’s new rule marks a “reversal of staggering proportions”, the states argued. It would open the door to activities such as mining and (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/18/trump-administration-moves-to-end-rule-protecting-swaths-of-forest-land) oil drilling in sensitive habitats so long as they are not “directed immediately and intentionally” at particular animals. Environmental groups have also sued over the change. The second lawsuit filed on Wednesday challenges two new rules. One eliminates wide protections for newly-threatened species unless the US Fish and Wildlife Service creates species-specific regulations. Advertisement    The second rule requires the government to consider objections from private companies before declaring areas “critical habitats”. The lawsuit argues that such changes leave endangered species with fewer safeguards than what Congress had outlined in its law. The 1973 law has been credited with helping restore the populations of animals such as condors, grizzly bears and humpback whales. It is seen as a keystone achievement of US conservation efforts. But the Trump administration has pledged to roll back (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/26/trump-administration-moves-to-roll-back-limits-on-deadly-soot-pollution) environmental protections in favour of prioritising economic growth. “Drill, baby, drill” was a popular slogan during Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, as he promised to open protected lands to greater oil exploration and private development.      Critics of Trump’s regulation-slashing fear he may trigger irreversible changes, pushing species to extinction. “Caring for our wildlife and our environment is part of caring for our future,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Yet President Trump seems to care only for himself and his industry friends.” But the Trump administration has argued that environmental protections have gone too far. It accused Wednesday’s lawsuits of seeking to defend “regulatory overreach” that went beyond what Congress had intended. “The role of federal agencies is to faithfully implement the Endangered Species Act as written, not to expand its reach through interpretations favoured by advocacy organizations,” an Interior Department spokesperson said, according to the Reuters news agency.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss       (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network