Trump Administration Further Weakens Endangered Species Protections - Oceana USA

Trump Administration Further Weakens Endangered Species Protections

Move follows weakening of protections for species in Gulf of Mexico

Press Release Date: July 10, 2026

Location: WASHINGTON

Contact:

Cory Gunkel | email: cgunkel@oceana.org | tel: Cory Gunkel

The following is a statement by Gib Brogan, senior campaign director at Oceana, after the Trump administration moved to weaken key protections under the Endangered Species Act, a change that could open habitats vital to the survival of imperiled species to drilling, mining, and other uses. The move comes just months after the administration unilaterally weakened similar protections for species in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The Endangered Species Act is one of the nation’s most effective conservation laws. For half a century, it has served as both a shield against extinction and a tool for species recovery. When you remove habitat protections, you remove one of the law’s most important safeguards. Habitat loss is the number one cause of extinction. By undermining the act’s power to protect species from the very harms driving their decline, the administration is essentially greenlighting their extinction.

“This is just the latest move by the administration to prioritize short-term gains over the survival of countless species. We urge policymakers to reject the administration’s continued attacks on the act, for when a species goes extinct, there is no going back. The future of our oceans and the countless species that inhabit them depends on our resolve to uphold and defend the Endangered Species Act.”