Endangered Species Protections Under Fire | Irvine News

Presented by The Plant Daddies — rare specimen trees, living art, and hand-carved limestone vessels and fountains for extraordinary spaces. Showrooms in Los Angeles and Irvine. Listeners of Irvine News Today receive 10% off with code LANEWS10. theplantdaddies.com/lanews The U.S. Interior Department just gutted key protections under the Endangered Species Act, shifting from automatic safeguards to case-by-case approvals — a move that could open the door for oil, gas, mining, and development projects in vulnerable habitats. Environmentalists warn this could doom species like monarch butterflies and alligator snapping turtles before they’re even noticed, while officials argue the law was being weaponized to halt progress and hurt competitiveness. New rules now require economic impact assessments before designating critical habitat, narrow the definition of “harm,” shrink protected areas for species like the Canada lynx, and hand more control to states — all part of a broader push to prioritize economic growth over species recovery. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/09ad9bbfd0c802a9