Why did the Trump Administration try to gut critical protections for endangered marine animals? We deserve to know.

In 2020, just days before leaving office, the administration proposed a rule change that would dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by redefining what it means to “harm” a protected animal. Instead of including habitat destruction—like polluting oceans or wrecking coral reefs—they wanted to exclude it. That change could have left whales, sea turtles, corals, and other marine life vulnerable to extinction.

Over 150,000 people submitted public comments opposing this rollback. Scientists objected. Legal experts warned it violated Supreme Court precedent. But the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Department of Commerce moved forward anyway.

Now, a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity is demanding that these agencies release internal documents that could reveal how politics and industry lobbying influenced this last-minute move. Did officials put corporate interests above public safety and ecological health? Did they ignore scientists or fire whistleblowers? The public deserves full transparency.

This isn't just about one bad rule—it’s about our right to know how decisions are made when the stakes are this high. The ESA is one of America’s most successful environmental laws. If agencies can gut it behind closed doors, the future of endangered wildlife everywhere is at risk.

We call on the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA’s NMFS to immediately release all records related to the proposed ESA rollback. Let the public see what happened—and why. Sunlight is the first step toward restoring trust, repairing harm, and protecting marine life for generations to come.

Sign to demand transparency now.