Could proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act prevent the recovery of the North American wolverine?/USFWS

Bald eagles, peregrine falcons, gray wolves, whooping cranes, American alligators, and black-footed ferrets. Those are some of the species that rebounded from perilously low populations thanks to the Endangered Species Act. But there are efforts in Congress, and from the Trump administration, to greatly alter how the act is used.

“The Trump administration doesn’t seem to know any other way to handle the environment than as an obstacle to industry profits, and House Republicans don’t seem to know any other response than standing around and applauding bad decisions," said U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Arizona.

"If a single company can make a single dollar from the destruction or displacement of an endangered species, it’s full speed ahead. The public doesn’t demand this; this is part of the endless special favors the White House and Department of the Interior are willing to do for their industry friends. It’s reprehensible and it needs to be opposed and reversed,” he added.

Key changes proposed by the Trump administration include:

* Procedures for designating critical habitat would be revised by reinstating the requirement that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service will first evaluate areas currently occupied by the species before considering unoccupied areas.

* The two agencies propose to clarify when they may determine unoccupied areas are essential to the conservation of the species.

* They are proposing a non-exhaustive list of circumstances where they may find that designation for a particular species would not be prudent. 

* The ESA defines a threatened species as one that is likely to become in danger of extinction within the “foreseeable future.” For the first time, the agencies are proposing an interpretation of “foreseeable future” to make it clear that it extends only as far as they can reasonably determine that both the future threats and the species’ responses to those threats are probable.

* The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is separately proposing to rescind its blanket rule under section 4(d) of the ESA, which automatically conveyed the same protections for threatened species as for endangered species unless otherwise specified.

Legislative efforts under way would limit the ability of groups to sue if a species is removed from the ESA's threatened or endangered categories. Another would allow the Interior secretary "to enter into cooperative management agreements with states, local governments, tribes and other non-federal persons in order to better manage species and improve habitat conservation. The bill also empowers states with robust species conservation programs already in place to take the lead in managing and preserving such species when meeting certain qualifying conditions."

Species currently awaiting determination from FWS and MFS as to whether they require listing as either threatened or endangered include the North American wolverine, Meltwater stonefly, Western glacier stonefly, Candy darter, and the Island marble butterfly.

At the Center for Biological Diversity, Brett Hartl, the group's government affairs director, said the changes proposed by the administration would "severely weaken protections for hundreds of endangered animals and plants across the country. They would also ensure that hundreds of imperiled species awaiting protection — like the monarch butterfly and the American wolverine — either never get safeguards or face additional, extinction-threatening delays."

The proposals are part of a broader effort by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to undercut protections for wildlife and public lands, the center charged.

“These proposals would slam a wrecking ball into the most crucial protections for our most endangered wildlife,” said Hartl. “If these regulations had been in place in the 1970s, the bald eagle and the gray whale would be extinct today. If they’re finalized now, Zinke will go down in history as the extinction secretary.”

At the Sierra Club, Athan Manuel, director of public lands protection, said the ESA "is one of the most effective environmental policies in American history with 99 percent of species listed recovering in their designated timeline. It’s prevented iconic animals like the bald eagle and grizzly bear from going extinct-- preserving our wild legacy and outdoor spaces for future generations. Instead of dismantling a policy we know works, Zinke should focus on requesting full funding for recovery efforts and allowing the Endangered Species Act to work like it’s supposed to and how it has for decades.”

At the National Parks Conservation Association, staff put together a website that allows you to check national parks for endangered or threatened species. The site also explains how the ESA works.

"Senator Barrasso’s draft legislation is the latest in a list of attempts by the Trump administration and Congress to cut the public out of critical decisions that affect our nation’s public lands, wildlife, air and water," said Bart Melton, NPCA's Northern Rockies regional director. "It does not ‘amend’ the ESA – it essentially calls for its elimination. Such harmful legislation threatens the long-term conservation of American wildlife and wild lands, and the parks that call them home. This legislation, coupled with the recent House package, is the most drastic of the dozens of anti-ESA bills introduced this Congress."