Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Matthew Brown The Associated Press
Federal officials under President Trump’s administration have issued a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act that removes legal liability for accidentally killing endangered species during activities like logging or dam construction. This directive, sent by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik in September, states that harm must be intentional to be illegal, marking a significant shift from previous practice. Critics argue this change undermines the act’s effectiveness by allowing developers and companies to proceed with projects even when they foresee negative impacts on endangered species.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Trump administration moved to significantly weaken protections under the Endangered Species Act by changing its interpretation of what constitutes illegal harm to endangered species. According to an internal memo distributed on September 14, actions that accidentally kill or injure protected animals would no longer be deemed violations unless they were intentionally targeting those specific species. This reinterpretation means that activities such as logging and dam construction, which previously could have led to liability for harming endangered species like grizzly bears and salmon, are now less restricted.
Experts argue this change undermines the original intent of the ESA, creating a loophole that allows developers and companies to proceed with projects even if they foresee potential harm to protected wildlife. The Center for Biological Diversity obtained the memo and highlighted examples illustrating the new interpretation: a ship hitting a whale unintentionally wouldn’t be considered illegal under the amended understanding of "take," nor would cutting down trees where bats reside, unless such actions were specifically intended to cause harm.
This shift in policy marks a substantial departure from past enforcement practices by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and could significantly impact conservation efforts for over 1,600 endangered species. Critics like Dan Ashe, former FWS director under Obama, warn that this change will weaken environmental protections and hinder recovery efforts for threatened species.
Written for “Endangered Species Protections Weakened” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.50, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 17201: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-18
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Inadvertently killing endangered animals while logging a forest or building a dam would no longer be considered illegal under a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by federal officials, marking a sea change by President Donald Trump’s administration in how the landmark environmental law is enforced.
asserted
law → kill → administration
A directive sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees this week says imperiled animals or plants must be intentionally targeted for their killing to be considered illegal.
asserted
killing → send → employees
That’s a sharp turnaround from past practice at the wildlife service, which historically held people liable even for accidentally harming protected species such as grizzly bears, manatees and spotted owls.
asserted
people → ’ → bears
Experts said the change would allow timber companies to log forests in the Pacific Northwest even if they knew that doing so could kill imperiled birds in the trees, or for developers to build a dam knowing it would kill salmon.
uncertain
it → say → salmon
“This cuts against the entire history of the Endangered Species Act,” said Dan Ashe, who led the Fish and Wildlife Service under former President Barack Obama.
asserted
who → cut → Obama
“It just creates a huge loophole,” added Ashe, who is now president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
asserted
who → create → Zoos
“It completely relieves people of any responsibility for their actions, even consequences that can be easily predicted.”
asserted
that → relieve → actions
Encouraged by Republican lawmakers and industry lobbyists, officials under Trump have moved to dismantle key parts of the endangered species law and make companies exempt from its regulations.
asserted
companies → encourage → regulations
Administration officials have said they are returning the law to its original intent, following a 2024 Supreme Court decision that limited the authority of federal agencies to interpret environmental statutes passed by Congress.
asserted
that → say → Congress
The new interpretation of what it means to harm — or “take” — a species was detailed in a Sept. 14 directive from Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik.
asserted
it → mean → Nesvik
“Felling a tree is not a take of the bats roosting in it unless the tree is felled for the purpose of killing or capturing them,” Nesvik wrote, adding that the bats would only be impacted “indirectly and accidentally.”
asserted
bats → fell → them
The directive, reported earlier by The New York Times, leans heavily on a dissenting opinion from former Justice Antonin Scalia in a 1995 Supreme Court case.
asserted
directive → report → case
It comes on the heels of a new rule from the wildlife service in July that narrowed the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, or ESA.
asserted
that → come → Act
Nesvik’s directive will guide how that new rule is put into action, according to a Thursday statement from the Interior Department, which includes the Fish and Wildlife Service.
uncertain
which → guide → Service
“Under the guidance, the ESA’s prohibition on ‘take’ continues to prohibit conduct including harassing, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing or collecting protected wildlife,” Interior Department officials said.
asserted
officials → continue → wildlife
For decades, the government had defined harm to imperiled animals broadly to include encroachments on places where they live.
asserted
they → define → places
Environmentalists warn the recent moves, if allowed to stand, will speed extinctions by letting protected species be killed and opening the door to habitat destruction.
asserted
species → warn → destruction
“This is basically a free for all,” said Noah Greenwald with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group.
asserted
Greenwald → say → Diversity
“It’s a radical reinterpretation that would put polluters and other industry before the natural world.”
asserted
that → ’ → world
The Endangered Species Act is credited with bringing back iconic animals — including the bald eagle, American alligator and California condor — from the brink of extinction.
asserted
Act → credit → extinction
Republicans rolled back several provisions of the law in Trump’s first term, only to have those moves reversed under Democratic President Joe Biden, then revived yet again during Trump’s second term.
asserted
moves → roll → term
The Aporia
