ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSED ROLLBACKS TO ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT REGULATIONS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSED ROLLBACKS TO ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT REGULATIONS

December 22, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a multistate coalition of 19 attorneys general on Monday in opposing four proposed rules by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that would revise key regulations implementing the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The proposed unlawful regulatory rollbacks would significantly weaken protections for a wide variety of critically imperiled species and habitats across the nation and would reinstate many of the same unlawful regulations adopted under the first Trump administration, which were challenged in court before being partially reversed by the Biden administration.

"Once again, the Trump administration is attempting to undue all of the progress we have made over the past 50 years protecting species on the brink of extinction," Raoul said. "I will continue to partner with my fellow attorneys general in urging this administration not to weaken the vital protections contained in the Endangered Species Act."

The Endangered Species Act is one of the nation's landmark environmental protection statutes and is vitally important for protecting a wide variety of critically imperiled species and their habitats. For over 50 years, the act has protected thousands of iconic and threatened species, including the bald eagle, grizzly bear and humpback whale. Enacted under the Nixon Administration in 1973, the act is intended, as the Supreme Court has described it, "to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost." The Trump administration's rules would dramatically weaken current protections and reduce federal act protections, enforcement and processes, putting these imperiled species and their habitats at increased risk of extinction.

Like other states, Illinois will need to devote significant resources and institutional capacity to make up for the federal government's failure to properly implement and enforce the act. This will detract from Illinois' efforts to carry out own state programs and protect migratory species, all while increasing state costs.

In their comment letter, Raoul and the coalition criticize the Trump administration for its proposed rollbacks, which would significantly weaken protections for our nation's most imperiled species by:

• Decreasing the likelihood that species would be listed as endangered or threatened and entitled to the Endangered Species Act's protections.
• Decreasing the likelihood that critical habitat would be designated as essential for the survival and recovery of such listed species.
• Reducing required consultations between federal wildlife agencies and other federal agencies, thereby reducing federal agencies' duties to mitigate the adverse effects of their proposed actions on listed species and critical habitat.
• Repealing regulations that protect threatened species from harm, harassment, or death due to various human actions.

Joining Raoul in sending the letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.