Trump Administration Broke The Law In Refusing To Protect Joshua Trees, Court Rules
[ad_1]
A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration violated the law when it declined to grant Endangered Species Act protections to the iconic Joshua tree.
In 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicerejected a petition from WildEarth Guardians to list the desert trees as threatened under the landmark 1972 conservation law. The agency said at the time that it analyzed a number of potential impacts, including drought, wildfire and climate change, and found that neither of the two species of Joshua trees, Yucca brevifolia or Yucca jaegeriana, warranted federal protection.
U.S. District Judge Otis Wright, an appointee of President George W. Bush, slammed the federal agency in his Wednesday opinion and sided with WildEarth Guardians, which argued that the federal agency disregarded science showing the myriad ways in which climate impacts threaten the trees’ long-term survival.
“The Service’s climate change conclusions are arbitrary and capricious because the Service disregarded material data and failed to explain why,” Wright wrote. “The Service’s findings regarding threats posed by climate change and wildfire are unsupported, speculative, or irrational.”
Cavan Images via Getty Images
The ruling stems from a lawsuit that WildEarth Guardians, a New Mexico-based environmental group, filed in 2019 challenging the Trump administration’s decision.
Jennifer Schwartz, a staff attorney for WildEarth Guardians, called the ruling “a monumental step forward” for not only the Joshua tree but also for all climate-imperiled species.
“The Court’s unequivocal holding — that the Service cannot summarily dismiss scientific evidence that runs counter to its conclusions — will force the federal government to confront the reality of climate change and begin focusing on how to help species adapt,” she said in a statement.
The ruling directs FWS to reconsider listing the Joshua tree using best-available science and issue a new finding within one year. The Biden administration has so far defended the Trump-era decision in court.
FWS did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment Wednesday.
The Trump administration spent four years at war with climate science. It downplayed and dismissed the global threat in its quest to boost fossil fuel production. It shut down panels on climate science, worked to limit the types of studies that can be used in drafting policy, and even altered and scrubbed scientific data on the environmental impacts of natural resource extraction. President Donald Trump’s Interior Department, which was led by a number of officials who detested the Endangered Species Act, not only used flawed or incomplete data to strip away or deny species protections but also weakened the law amid a worsening extinction crisis.
The Biden administration has since moved to reverse Trump’s rollbacks to the ESA.
The slow-growing Joshua tree is native to the U.S. Southwest, including the Mojave Desert. They are the namesake of Joshua Tree National Park.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that Joshua trees are native to the Southeast.
[ad_2]
Original Post
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this article plus the rest of the site is very good.
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thanks , I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
I?¦ve recently started a website, the information you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
I really appreciate this post. I have been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again!
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say great blog!
I couldn’t resist commenting
It?¦s really a cool and useful piece of information. I?¦m happy that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Regards for this post, I am a big big fan of this web site would like to continue updated.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am inspired! Very helpful info particularly the ultimate phase 🙂 I care for such information much. I used to be looking for this certain info for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.
Real informative and great bodily structure of subject material, now that’s user pleasant (:.
Good write-up, I?¦m normal visitor of one?¦s blog, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
Hey there! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Terrific blog and amazing design.
A powerful share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit analysis on this. And he actually purchased me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If possible, as you become experience, would you mind updating your weblog with more particulars? It is extremely useful for me. Big thumb up for this weblog submit!
I was reading some of your articles on this website and I believe this website is real instructive! Retain putting up.
I¦ll right away take hold of your rss feed as I can’t find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me realize so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
Helpful information. Fortunate me I discovered your site by chance, and I am surprised why this accident didn’t took place in advance! I bookmarked it.
of course like your web site however you have to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the reality nevertheless I will definitely come again again.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.
I was more than happy to search out this net-site.I wished to thanks in your time for this glorious read!! I definitely enjoying every little little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to check out new stuff you weblog post.
Hi there, I found your blog via Google while looking for a related topic, your website came up, it looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Very interesting topic, thanks for posting. “Experience a comb life gives you after you lose your hair.” by Judith Stern.
Fantastic goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely great. I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is really a terrific web site.
Good info and right to the point. I am not sure if this is truly the best place to ask but do you folks have any ideea where to employ some professional writers? Thanks in advance 🙂
Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this web site wants rather more consideration. I’ll most likely be again to learn much more, thanks for that info.
I used to be very happy to search out this internet-site.I wished to thanks in your time for this excellent learn!! I undoubtedly having fun with every little little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to check out new stuff you weblog post.
I have been examinating out many of your articles and it’s clever stuff. I will definitely bookmark your site.
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you’ve put in writing this website. I’m hoping the same high-grade website post from you in the upcoming also. In fact your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own website now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings fast. Your write up is a great example of it.
Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
The following time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I mean, I do know it was my choice to read, however I actually thought youd have one thing fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you would fix if you werent too busy in search of attention.
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
certainly like your website but you need to test the spelling on several of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find it very bothersome to inform the reality nevertheless I¦ll definitely come again again.
Great write-up, I am regular visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
Hey would you mind letting me know which web host you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good hosting provider at a reasonable price? Cheers, I appreciate it!