justaevolvedchimp1784638873

The legal definition of harm just changed.

If you bulldoze a threatened animal’s habitat, you are no longer legally harming the animal. That is the new standard under the Endangered Species Act. A new ruling drops habitat destruction from the regulatory definition of “harm.”

Developers, mining operations, and energy companies can now legally alter or destroy the land where endangered species live. The only condition is that they cannot directly injure or kill the animals themselves.

The Interior Department calls it a return to common sense that will cut red tape, speed up project permits, and lower costs for landowners. Conservationists point out the obvious counterargument: an animal cannot survive if the place it depends on disappears. The fallout will hit federal courts next.