Legalize Destruction

Legalized Destruction

by Allison Brizela

The Trump Administration is attempting to reduce key protections in the Endangered Species Act. Signed into law by Richard Nixon, this act protects species at risk of extinction and their habitats. For over 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped protect thousands of plants and animals. The Trump administration is tearing it up to help big oil and tech companies drill for oil and build data centers. This administration has legalized the destruction of endangered species' habitats. In July 2026, the Trump administration created a rule revoking the act's definition of “harm,” essentially removing protection for the habitat on which endangered species rely. It is said, “The longstanding law had long prohibited ‘habitat modification or degradation’ because it could harm or kill endangered animals.... That definition of harm was upheld by the US Supreme Court in a 1995 ruling.” The Endangered Species Committee “voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico from restrictions under the Endangered Species Act." Furthermore, in March, the administration convened in a session that decided oil and gas companies no longer need to abide by Endangered Species Act protections in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the question everyone is asking is, “Has the Trump administration weakened the Endangered Species Act?”