President Donald Trump signed an executive order that further undermines protections provided under the Endangered Species Act, which helps protect threatened species such as scalloped hammerheads and great whites.
The order guts several long-standing environmental laws outlined in the the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to remove barriers for commercial interests. Under the order, proposed projects will no longer need to account for any environmental impacts and will not be subject to comment from the public.
“With more than 100,000 Americans dead from coronavirus, more than 40 million out of work and our country facing its greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Trump made the time to weaken our marine habitat protection standards, which says everything that needs to be said,” House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva said in a statement.
Trump’s proclamation also reverses a decision by President Barrack Obama in 2016 to create the Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, the first of its kind in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean.
“Today’s proclamation is another nail in the coffin for both productive fisheries and healthy oceans in New England. Instead of addressing the critical issues facing our nation, President Trump just gave the green light to wreak centuries-worth of damage to deep-sea corals, seamounts, canyons, and sea life that depend on this marine national monument for protection,” Oceana senior campaign manager Gib Brogan said in a statement.
“This assault on our oceans joins the administration’s almost-daily actions to dismantle environmental protections for our nation’s air, water, oceans, historic treasures and wildlife — and to shut down public participation in decisions by our federal government. Another political attack on our environment will put the longevity of productive fisheries at stake unless this action is reversed immediately. Oceana will make sure that President Trump’s proclamation does not go unchecked.”
Trump, who is alleged to have a crippling fear of sharks, has repeatedly weakened environmental laws to the benefit of corporations and other commercial enterprises.