Donald Trump announces the creation of a “divine team” allowing to decide in favor of an industrial project, to the detriment of the protection of certain species such as the Grizzli or the Red Wolf in the United States.
The Trump Administration at the War Open with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a federal law created to protect animal species whose populations are threatened with disappearance and adopted in 1973. It notably protects certain animals against hunting, various trafficking and finally in the face of ecosystems fragile by humans. To do this, Donald Trump Simply announced the creation of a “divine team”, a committee authorized to veto the protections of ESA for endangered species.
Recently, American Republicans organized a hearing on ESA and the law on the protection of marine mammals, claiming that legislation should be revised to allow faster approval of industrial projects (oil, gas), to the detriment of certain animal species. “While American fauna decreases, Elon Musk violently attacks competent and dedicated people who are fighting to save our plants and animals from extinction. It is more than Absurde,” regrets Noah Greenwald, director of endangered species at the center for biological diversity, in the columns of the columns of the columns of the columns of Guardian.
“Decide which species exist and which do not exist”
As a reminder, ESA has saved several species from the extinction such as white -headed pygargues (a kind of raptor living in North America, the scale of which can reach 2.40 meters), grizzly grizzlymen and American alligators. Some environmentalists rightly affirm that it is among the most strict environmental laws in the country. However, according to Drew Caputo, a lawyer at the Earthjustice association, it has become the target of the American right: “The industry does not support that its ability to generate profits is sometimes limited by the need to protect the wild fauna that has existed on millions of years”. According to him, the famous “divine squad” of President Trump would represent “the greatest threat to date (…) she can behave like a god and decide which species exist and which do not exist,” he insists, still for The Guardian.
The official name of this new “mission” could be the “endangered species committee”. It will be made up of seven federal agencies. In the event of a significant conflict between a federal action of public or economic interest and ESA, each will vote to determine whether the benefits of the project prevail over the well-being of protected species. If five out of seven voters decide in favor of a project, he will be prosecuted or triggered. This could de facto lead to the disappearance of certain species in the United States.
Opponents of Donald Trump already accuse him of using this new device outside the jurisdiction of the “Divine” team. In a decree, for example, he ordered the team to meet every quarter rather than after the end of the petition process, as required by law. When there is no project to examine, the team must “identify obstacles to national energy infrastructure” linked to ESA, specifies another decree. For Drew Caputo, the American president could go even further, using “the squadron to divert the waters from north to south of California, to the detriment of threatened salmon”, he regrets.
Finally, the latest budget cuts announced by the Trump administration, notably within the framework of the DOGE or “Department of Government Efficiency”, set up by the boss of Tesla Elon Musk since January Denier across the Atlantic to save on the functioning of the State, could also have heavy consequences on fauna. The President of the United States plans to remove 40 % of the enrollment of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The preservation of red wolves in North Carolina, “Akikiki” or Kauai climber birds in Hawaii and America’s polers could be impacted.