BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says she intends to sue the Trump administration over new rules that would gut the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit she announced Monday alleges that the changes are illegal and that the administration failed to review environmental impact and ignored public opinion.

The Endangered Species Act was enacted more than 40 years ago and has since prevented the extinction of 99% of all listed species - including the bald eagle, humpback whale, green sea turtle and whooping crane. Healey said the new rules violate the act's purpose, which has helped revive some of Massachusetts's endangered and threatened species.

"These protections have boosted our piping plover recovery, increasing populations here in Massachusetts alone by 500% since 1990,” Healey said. “It used to be that there were no peregrine falcons in our state, but now our state is home to more than 40 breeding pairs of those falcons."

Healey said the new rules pave the way for approval of oil, gas and other development projects despite potential species impact. Supporters of the rules say they create greater transparency.

Under the new rules, economic factors can be considered when making endangered species determinations. They also make it easier to remove protections for a species.

Healey said these rules are unpopular and will help businesses exploit the environment.

"The Endangered Species Act has been one of our most successful environmental laws,” she said. “It was passed many years ago and, significantly, it was passed with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. And I think that speaks to the common understanding of the importance of this law."

The new rules are expected to appear in the Federal Register this week and will go into effect 30 days after that.


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Some $20 million of Utah's whopping $29 billion state budget will be spent on building wildlife crossings and fences across the state in an effort to keep wildlife off of highways.

Rep. Doug Owens, D-Salt Lake, said the appropriation is "non-lapsing," meaning the funds can be spent over time. Owens added the federal government needs to approve a four-to-one match, which would make a grand total of $100 million available for the projects statewide.

"That is a lot of money for fencing, and crossings and underpasses," Owens pointed out. "Hopefully we'll get all that $100 million spent here in the next few years, to keep our roadways safe."

Owens noted before the legislative session began, he asked the Utah Department of Transportation to put together a list of the top 10 hot spots where wildlife mitigation projects are needed most. He added with the estimated cost of the projects, $100 million will be enough to fund them.

An estimated 5,000 deer and 1,000 elk are involved in vehicle collisions in Utah every year.

Owens argued the number of large animal and vehicle collisions needs to come down, to prevent injuries and deaths for humans and animals alike, as well as the material damage. He called the appropriation a "win for everybody."

"Utahns incur about $130 million of expense every year fixing cars that have hit animals," Owens reported. "And that doesn't even include any of the medical costs, and even the occasional fatality of a person hitting a large animal."

Utah made history in 1975 as the first state to complete a wildlife overpass on Interstate 15 near Beaver. Since then, more than 100 projects have been executed, and Owens added he is excited to see more implemented around the state.


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As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Interior Department has announced it is investing $120 million to restore and rebuild key segments of America's wildlife management systems, especially in key areas of the Midwest.

The money will be used to address species climate adaptation and invasive species threats, and provide additional data collection needed to support successful natural resource resilience. The money will be especially important in high-priority areas of the Midwest known as Prairie Potholes.

Christy Plumer, chief conservation officer for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the potholes are shallow wetlands where wildlife have been threatened.

"It is what we call the duck factory," Plumer explained. "A lot of waterfowl species spend really important components of their life within the Prairie Pothole region. It is a region that has a complicated set of both threats and opportunities within it."

Some $23 million is earmarked for landscape conservation and restoration in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and North and South Dakota. The investment comes at the same time the Endangered Species Act turns 50 years old.

Plumer added much of the $120 million investment will go right to work on the land of individuals who want to protect sensitive, low-lying wetlands on their property ...

"... but still utilize the upland areas for growing crops, ranching and for other needs," Plumer emphasized. "I think a program like this provides that blend of opportunities for willing landowners to do great conservation work while also thinking long term about the economic vitality of their farms and their ranches."

Plumer noted in addition to restoring habitat and increasing land resilience, the Prairie Potholes project will also secure environmental justice for historically disadvantaged communities.

Wildlife conservationists are calling for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to veto House Bill 469, which would allow year-round cougar hunting in the state.

During one of the bill's final readings, Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, introduced a provision to remove the state's current requirement to carry a cougar hunting permit to hunt and kill the large cats.

Kirk Robinson, founder and executive director of the Western Wildlife Conservancy, said the bill is concerning because Utah already kills more cougars each year than almost any other state. Robinson reported in the 2021-2022 hunting season, 753 cougars were killed out of the roughly 2,500 accounted for by the state's Division of Wildlife Resources.

"Why are we killing so many in the first place?" Robinson asked. "Which makes the question: Why would we have a change in the law to allow even more killings?"

Robinson argued the bill has garnered support because some people believe cougars are responsible for the struggling Utah deer population and also cause public safety concerns. While Robinson recognizes human-cougar encounters have increased in recent years, he argued the bill is "scientifically uninformed and ethically fraught," and killing so many cougars upsets the ecological balance.

In addition to the impact the bill could have on Utah's cougar population, Robinson claimed the way the provision was introduced was "sneaky" and called it a "horrible way to run government." He pointed out if the law were to be enacted, it would remove cougar management from the purview of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and put it in the hands of the Utah Wildlife Board, which is managed by hunters and livestock producers.

Robinson emphasized research has shown there is a correlation between heavy hunting and more conflict incidents, including predation on livestock and encounters with people.

"Why would that be so if killing cougars really does prevent or mitigate conflict? When you take out the dominant males from a cougar population, there are a lot more young cougars," Robinson explained. "They don't have fixed home ranges, and they're not good hunters."

Robinson stressed cougars play a crucial role in stabilizing ecosystems. He added even if the bill is vetoed, the number of cougars being killed needs to come down as it currently sits at two and a half times the recommended amount.


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