Last week, the Trump administration moved to weaken one of the most popular and successful laws passed in the United States in the last 50 years: the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
If successful, the proposed changes could harm some iconic species on the East End, including the piping plover, the eastern tiger salamander, and even the monarch butterfly, and offshore species like the North Atlantic right whale.
The public has until Dec. 22 to comment on the amendments.
President Trump announced a two-pronged attack on the law.
First, he proposed four rule changes. This is a step below formally changing the legislation. He did the same in 2019, only to see the changes reversed by President Joe Biden in 2024.
Instead of changing the law, if adopted, the rules would change how the law is implemented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
One change would insert economic analysis into the decision to list a species as endangered or threatened; another would make listing new species more difficult, a third would make it easier to remove currently listed species, and the last would make it harder to designate and protect critical habitats for threatened and endangered wildlife.
In short, the changes could place temporary lost revenue for a developer or corporation over the loss of an endangered or threatened species.
“They’re taking into account lost revenue if protections are put in place for a species, but it’s in the public’s best interest to follow science in these decisions,” said Jewel Tomasula, a national policy director at the Endangered Species Coalition. “The whole point of the law is to stop extinction, not protect profits.”
A second, perhaps more concerning effort, would plant these rule changes firmly within the Endangered Species Act itself, but that would require approval of both the House and Senate.
While Ms. Tomasula says that would be difficult, she is concerned nonetheless.
The law is sponsored by the powerful Representative Bruce Westerman, who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources. He can bring the legislation to a vote.
“He’s serious about it. We could see him try to move it through the House this year and he’s already been negotiating with senators,” said Ms. Tomasula. “The E.S.A. is one of our most beloved laws. We consistently see that 84 percent of the public supports it over decades of polling.”
When asked, Representative Nick LaLota issued an equivocal statement about the potential changes.
“I’m still reviewing the proposed rule — and I’ll be watching the public comments closely through the December 22, 2025, deadline — but here’s my bottom line: I support a strong Endangered Species Act that protects the species and habitats Long Islanders care about, and I support clear, predictable rules that follow the law and don’t weaponize regulation against affordable energy or infrastructure. I’m going to listen to local scientists, fishermen, environmental groups, and employers before deciding whether this specific rollback gets that balance right — and I will oppose any final rule that gets that balance wrong.”
On the East End, our most famous federally threatened species is the piping plover.
“The E.S.A. is the driving force for protections of the federally-threatened Atlantic Coast piping plover population,” said Chris Allieri, executive director of the NYC Plover Project. “Without a strong and intact E.S.A., there will be no protection for this bird and countless other species.
Indeed, a watered-down Endangered Species Act will impact many species on the East End.
The monarch butterfly, for example, which was to be listed as endangered in 2024, would not receive the same protections if the rules are enacted. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, its population has declined by over 90 percent since the turn of the millennium.
The Lake Montauk dredging project was also impacted by the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must complete dredging projects outside of the migration season for winter flounder, a federally-regulated species.
East Hampton Town was placed under similar restrictions when it was forbidden from clearing land for its proposed senior center in Amagansett between late spring and fall, when the federally-endangered northern long-eared bat roosts in trees.
“From my perspective as an environmental educator, when I hear stuff like this, I see it as a setback for the mission of the museum,” said Frank Quevedo, the executive director of the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. “The New York State endangered eastern tiger salamander is in our backyard. Two years ago, we started collecting movement data to prove that the wetlands are important to protect. The animals use the space around them during their breeding season. If these changes happen and wetlands aren’t protected, then what are we doing?”
“What’s really concerning is the biodiversity that’s going to be lost,” he said. “Biodiversity creates ecological services that we depend on as humans. The more we reduce protections, these ecological services will be lost and it’s going to affect our health. People can believe me or not, but from my background, I know this is going to be the case.”
Bruce Horwith, a conservation biologist who advises the Peconic Land Trust, said the Endangered Species Act is one of the great tools for conservationists.
He gave the example of a plant, the sandplain gerardia, which 100 years ago covered Montauk in a sea of pink.
“The presence of that plant was an important justification for the state when they spent $100 million to protect Shadmoor’s 99 acres,” he said. “Part of the argument to preserve the land was because it had an endangered species growing there.”
Comments can be submitted online at bit.ly/3KalSsM.
Alternately, comments can be mailed to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0039; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Va. 22041-3803.
Finally, Representative LaLota’s office number is 631-289-1097.
