Wasserman Schultz, Florida House Democrats Oppose Endangered Species Act Rollbacks, Demand Rule Withdrawal

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Darren Soto (FL-09), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and Kathy Castor (FL-14) called on Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to immediately withdraw their agencies’ final rule redefining “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. 

This change makes it easier for the oil, gas, and mining industries and development interests to encroach on wildlife habitat, so long as it does not directly harm threatened or endangered plants and animals themselves.

“In yet another handout to polluters, Trump is making it easier for his corporate friends to cash in on our natural resources and simply ignore protections for rare plants and animals,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Anyone who cares about Florida’s treasured Everglades, coral reefs, and the amazing wildlife that call our state home should be angry as hell about this.”

Over 100 species found in Florida are listed under the Endangered Species Act, including iconic animals like the manatee, the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the hawksbill sea turtle. Many of these species are found nowhere else on earth.

“The rule change directly threatens the unique habitats that support the plants and animals for which our state is renowned,” wrote the Members. “Climate change coupled with unprecedented urban growth in Florida and around the nation has pushed our wildlife to the brink. This rule will significantly weaken the ESA and usher in the often-irreversible loss of habitat, hastening the extinction of plants and animals that are a vital part of our state’s culture and tourism economy.”

The rule change was followed by two other Endangered Species Act rollbacks, one which ends automatic protections for newly listed threatened species – those on the brink of endangered status – and one which gives more weight to economic factors when considering critical habitat designation. 

Read the full letter here.

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