NYT
Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species Protection
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
An internal memo from the Trump administration reinterpreted the Endangered Species Act to restrict illegal killing to intentional actions only, excluding unintentional harm to protected animals. The memo was obtained by The Washington Post. The reinterpretation narrows the scope of what constitutes a violation under the law's incidental take provision.
Original reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/climate/endangered-species-act-change.html
