Going against the Trump administration, Washington is joining the multistate legal fight over changes to federal endagnered animals laws.
20 other attorneys, including Attorney General Nick Brown, are co-leading the two lawsuits over the dispute over the rule adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The lawsuit is against the new changes that were federally made to how the government protects wildlife and its threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Washington and other states argue that removing the Act could allow habitat productivity to go down. Washington has a particular interest in the outcome of the state’s endangered animals, including Southern Resident killer whales and a declining salmon population.
The population of the killer whales has declined from 98 in 1995 to 74 today. In 2005, the whales were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The salmon population in the state is also facing severe habitat loss, which could become a greater threat if the new federal rules stay.
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Washington co-leads two lawsuits challenging cuts to federal Endangered Species Act protections