Complete
15
In Progress
1
Complete
Rolled back a roughly 40-year-old interpretation of a policy aimed at protecting migratory birds. The rule imposed fines and other penalties on companies who accidentally kill birds through their actions, including oil spills and toxic pesticide applications. In August 2020, a federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s legal rationale for the regulation, reinstating the protection. But, in January, the administration moved forward with a final rule anyway.
Cut critical habitat for the northern spotted owl by more than three million acres in Washington state, Oregon and Northern California, opening up the land to timber harvesting.
Changed the way the Endangered Species Act is applied, making it more difficult to protect wildlife from long-term threats posed by climate change.
Weakened critical habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act by making it easier to exclude certain areas, including for public-works projects such as schools and hospitals, and for public lands leased to non-government businesses.
Ended the automatic application of full protections for ‘threatened’ plants and animals, the classification one step below ‘endangered’ in the Endangered Species Act.
Relaxed environmental protections for salmon and smelt in California’s Central Valley in order to free up water for farmers.
Removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
Overturned a ban on the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands.
Overturned a ban on the hunting of predators in Alaskan wildlife refuges.
Reversed an Obama-era rule that barred using bait, such as grease-soaked doughnuts, to lure and kill grizzly bears, among other sport hunting practices that many people consider extreme, on some public lands in Alaska.
Amended fishing regulations to loosen restrictions on the harvest of a number of species.
Removed restrictions on commercial fishing in a protected marine preserve southeast of Cape Cod that is home to rare corals and a number of endangered sea animals. The Trump administration suggested changing the management or size of two other marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean.
Proposed revising limits on the number of endangered marine mammals and sea turtles that can be unintentionally killed or injured with sword-fishing nets on the West Coast. (The Obama-era rules were initially withdrawn by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but were later finalized following a court order. The agency said it planned to revise the limits.)
Loosened fishing restrictions intended to reduce bycatch of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. Nonprofits have filed a lawsuit challenging the rollback.
Overturned a ban on using parts of migratory birds in handicrafts made by Alaskan Natives.
Incomplete
Opened nine million acres of Western land to oil and gas drilling by weakening habitat protections for the sage grouse, an imperiled bird. A federal judge in Idaho temporarily blocked the measure, arguing the Bureau of Land Management failed to carry out an adequate environmental review for the proposal. A Montana court nullified 440 oil and gas leases in greater sage-grouse habitat, but later put the ruling on hold pending appeal. In a push to finalize the rollback before Mr. Trump leaves office, the Bureau published revised environmental impact statements in late 2020 and requested that lease sales be upheld by the Montana court.