What Does Wildlife Have To Do With Politics?
The Senate, House of Representatives and White House each play a role in making key decisions about wildlife and habitat. These decisions can range from passing and vetoing legislation, enacting bills into law, to deciding the amount of funding laws like the Endangered Species Act and individual agencies, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, receive. Congress is also responsible for confirming Presidential nominees to key leadership positions charged with making decisions that impact wildlife. These appointments are vast and range from the very top of government agencies, like the Interior Secretary, Energy Secretary and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, to the executive director level.
How Government Impacts Wildlife
Key Roles and Departments
Environmental Protection Agency: The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for protecting people and the environment from significant health risks. The agency also sponsors and conducts research, and develops and enforces environmental regulations.
Department of Interior: The Department of the Interior is tasked with oversight of national parks, wildlife refuges, and public lands. It enforces laws like the Endangered Species Act, restores ecosystems, monitors wildlife populations, and works with Native American tribes and local communities to ensure sustainable use and conservation of natural resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which specifically oversees the protection of wildlife, is part of the DOI.
Department of Energy: The Department of Energy oversees energy development and production in the U.S., and is responsible for balancing energy needs against negative impacts on the environment. Through laws like the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, the DOE must ensure new energy projects do not pose significant threat to wildlife and habitat.
Department of Agriculture: The Department of Agriculture's primary responsibility is to support and regulate agriculture, forestry, and food systems in the U.S. The USDA regulates agricultural practices which, when unchecked, can lead to habitat destruction, soil degradation and pesticide use that damages ecosystems and reduces biodiversity.
A Trump Administration, Term 2
The Trump administration has begun to outline their legal and administrative priorities, and all signs point to a rigorous investment in resource extraction, like drilling, and undermining the laws that protect our most vulnerable wildlife. President Trump’s last presidency had devasting effects on wildlife, and we are prepared for this term to be equally destructive. Here are some things we are tracking as this administration takes shape:
Prediction: Harsher Endangered Species Act AttacksDuring President Trump’s previous term, several rules were issued that aimed to weaken the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s most effective conservation law. Some of the rules made it easier to delist or down-list imperiled species before they were recovered, reversing their fledgling hopes for recovery. Others made it harder to list species or to enact the protections needed to prevent extinction. The Trump administration also rewrote key ESA regulations including how habitat is defined, making it easier to exclude areas necessary to the recovery of imperiled species. Read Defenders reaction to when this occurred in 2020 here. | Image
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Consequence:
When a species is delisted or downlisted it loses some — if not all — federal protections, and management of their recovery is turned over to the states where the species reside. More species could be lost if proper protections for wildlife and their habitat do not remain in place until populations are stable.
Prediction: Funding cuts to agencies enforcing and overseeing wildlife managementAnother strategy employed during the last Trump administration was to slash funding for the agencies overseeing enforcement of the ESA and other wildlife protection measures. President Trump has already expressed his desire to restructure federal agencies under the guise of “efficiency,” which could mean eliminating the protections that keep wildlife safe during new development projects. Combined with his energy priorities, programs focused on wildlife management are likely to be deprioritized and underfunded. | Image
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Consequence:
To properly enforce protections and ensure the best science is used for decision making, it is critical for agencies to have the resources and staff needed to be effective. With less funding allocated to wildlife protection, species who need fast action to prevent their extinction may have to wait even longer for warranted protections.
Prediction: Public Lands Used for Oil and Gas DevelopmentThe Trump administration’s energy agenda, and the nomination of “drill baby, drill” oil advocate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to lead the Department of Interior, showcases the intent to open federal lands to increased oil, gas and coal production. During his previous term, President Trump reduced our nation’s national monuments – including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante – by nearly 1 million acres, underscoring his preference for profit over nation’s natural heritage. | Image
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Consequence:
Resource development on this nation’s public lands and waters not only threatens the protected status of more than a billion acres of national wild lands, but it also puts habitat for several species of wildlife at risk.
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