Media Advisory: California AG Xavier Becerra, Massachusetts AG Maura Healey & Defenders of Wildlife CEO Jamie Clark to Hold Press Call on Endangered Species Act Today

Washington, D.C. — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, and Defenders of Wildlife President & CEO Jamie Clark will hold a tele-press conference addressing the Trump administration’s rollback of critical wildlife protections under the Endangered Species Act today at 2:30pm EST.

The rollbacks are expected to be announced by senior Trump administration officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and NOAA Fisheries during a press call today at 11am EST.

Critics of the rollbacks note that they are the most far-reaching regulatory revisions to the Endangered Species Act in decades. Among other things, the new rules allow the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA to unlawfully insert economic analyses into listing decisions for species that may become threatened or endangered, undermine protections for critical habitats and prohibit the agencies from listing a species as threatened or endangered because of climate change.

In September 2018, Attorneys General Becerra and Healey led a multi-state coalition of ten state attorneys general in submitting comments denouncing the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back these critical species protections, calling the proposed rules “untethered” from and “in clear violation of” the Act’s “overriding conservation purpose.” In addition to violating the express terms of the law, the AGs noted that the Trump administration’s then-proposed rules violated the National Environmental Policy Act and were arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.

WHAT:
Press call on Trump administration’s unlawful rollback of critical species protections under the Endangered Species Act.

RSVP:
Media interested in joining the call should RSVP with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s press office by emailing: [email protected]

WHO:

• California Attorney General Xavier Becerra
• Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey
• Defenders of Wildlife President & CEO Jamie Clark

WHEN:
Monday, August 12, 2019
2:30 pm EST

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About the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center:
The State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan academic center at NYU School of Law. The Center is dedicated to working towards a healthy and safe environment, guided by inclusive and equitable principles. The Center studies and supports the work of state attorneys general (AGs) in defending, enforcing, and promoting strong laws and policies in the areas of climate, environmental justice, environmental protection, and clean energy.