Trump’s New Rule Threatens Wildlife Protections | Tucson News

Tucson News Today | 2 Min Now | The Daily News Now! · Jul 11, 2026 · 1m

The Trump administration just rewrote the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “harm,” narrowing it to only include direct injury or death to animals — effectively sidelining habitat destruction. This move, backed by a Supreme Court ruling and framed as a return to the law’s original intent, could open the door for logging, drilling, and mining in critical habitats. Environmentalists warn it threatens extinction, while supporters argue it restores economic balance. It’s the latest in a volatile cycle of policy reversals — previously rolled back under Biden — and could reshape the future of…