Extractive Industries Win Big with new Trump Administration Environmental Rules

In this Monday, July 22, 2013, file photo, hikers look up at a fast moving storm as it makes its way through Zion National Park outside of Springdale, Utah. Many of the country’s most prominent national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion, set new visitation records in 2015. The National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday in 2016 and has been urging Americans to rediscover the country’s scenic wonders or find new parks to visit through marketing campaigns.
In this Monday, July 22, 2013, file photo, hikers look up at a fast moving storm as it makes its way through Zion National Park outside of Springdale, Utah. Many of the country's most prominent national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion, set new visitation records in 2015. The National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday in 2016 and has been urging Americans to rediscover the country's scenic wonders or find new parks to visit through marketing campaigns. Sandy Huffaker / AP Photo
In this Monday, July 22, 2013, file photo, hikers look up at a fast moving storm as it makes its way through Zion National Park outside of Springdale, Utah. Many of the country’s most prominent national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion, set new visitation records in 2015. The National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday in 2016 and has been urging Americans to rediscover the country’s scenic wonders or find new parks to visit through marketing campaigns.
In this Monday, July 22, 2013, file photo, hikers look up at a fast moving storm as it makes its way through Zion National Park outside of Springdale, Utah. Many of the country's most prominent national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion, set new visitation records in 2015. The National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday in 2016 and has been urging Americans to rediscover the country's scenic wonders or find new parks to visit through marketing campaigns. Sandy Huffaker / AP Photo

Extractive Industries Win Big with new Trump Administration Environmental Rules

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The Trump Administration has announced several changes to environmental policies. On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would consider a plan to ease restrictions on corporations petitioning to get animals delisted from the Endangered Species List. The government is planning to make lost profits a legitimate claim to remove protection from threatened animals and vulnerable land. The change to the Endangered Species Act comes just months after a United Nations report that said human activity is likely to cause the extinction of one million species. Meanwhile, the National Forest Service also announced a plan to create loopholes in the National Environmental Policy Act that would effectively eliminate public comment periods on extraction rights on public lands. To discuss these interconnected issues, we’re joined by Rebecca Riley, Legal Director for the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Adam Cramer, Executive Director of the Outdoor Alliance, a Washington DC-based nonprofit that unites natural recreation organizations for the conservation of public lands.