N.Y. Times Quotes Professor Börk on Key Rollback to Endangered Species Act

Professor Karrigan Börk spoke to the New York Times about the Trump administration’s recasting of the word “harm” in the Endangered Species Act.

On July 10, the United States' Interior and Commerce departments announced they had rescinded the longstanding interpretation of “harm” to include not just killing or injuring animals but destroying habitat.

The move could open the habitats of endangered animals to farming, drilling, mining and other previously restricted activities.

In response, the environmental law firm Earthjustice is planning a legal challenge, the Times reported. 

But if the case reaches the Supreme Court, Börk warned, the court’s conservative supermajority could enshrine the change and keep future administrations from reversing it.

Professor and UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences Director Karrigan Börk teaches and researches in the areas of environmental law, natural resources, and administrative law.