A federal judge has nixed Trump-era changes to the Endangered Species Act that were largely supported by construction and business-oriented groups.

在一个7月5日裁决, U.S. District Court Judge John Tigar in the Northern District of California noted that both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) had already proposed rescinding the 2019 rules and are developing new ones. Both agencies have said they have “substantial concerns” with the changes.

“Regardless of whether the court vacates the 2019 [Act] rules, they will not remain in effect in their current form,” Tigar wrote in an 11-page opinion.

The ruling is the culmination of a legal challenge to the rules brought by Earthjustice on behalf of several conservation organizations, shortly after they were promulgated.

Rules Limited Protections

特朗普政府制定了三个规则，这些规则限制了对濒危和受威胁物种的保护。一个人缩小了FWS和NMF可以认为的野生动植物的栖息地。另一个消除了覆盖规则，该规则扩展了相同的保护措施为被认为受到威胁的物种提供了濒临灭绝的物种。第三个要求两个机构在做出有关将物种的分类为受威胁或濒危物种的决定时，包括经济影响。

Construction industry groups, such as the Associated General Contractors of America and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, say the changed rules provided more certainty to builders and project developers because they provide clear parameters, such as to what constitutes a habitat for an endangered species.

在2019年修订之前，政府采用了一种更广泛的方法，“导致不确定性，诉讼和延误，而没有与更好的物种保存的任何明确联系”，这些组织在对两个机构的评论中说。

Conservation and environmental groups praise the decision.

“The 2019 rollbacks to the [law's] regulations were an unlawful and irrational mess that undermined critical protections for wildlife,” said Karimah Schoenhut, a Sierra Club attorney in a statement. “In the midst of a global extinction crisis, the court’s decision to vacate the rules will help imperiled species receive the protections they desperately need.”