The Trump administration has released final rules that would alter important current requirements under the Endangered Species Act, a move that industry groups viewed as welcome reforms but environmental organizations blasted as wildlife-protection rollbacks, which they and at least two state attorneys general pledged to challenge in the courts.
The new regulations, unveiled jointly on Aug. 12 by the Interior Dept.’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Dept.’s National Marine Fisheries Service, include several key changes, industry officials and environmental groups say.