Endangered Species Protections Rolled Back | Roanoke News

The U.S. Interior Department just gutted a key endangered species protection rule, shifting from automatic safeguards to case-by-case plans — a move critics fear will delay conservation and open the door to development in vulnerable habitats. Officials argue the Endangered Species Act has been overused to block projects and now want success measured by species recovery, not just listing. Environmental groups warn this could doom species like monarch butterflies and alligator snapping turtles, while new rules let industries weigh in on habitat designations and narrow what counts as harm — even shrinking protected areas for animals like the Canada lynx. Plus...