PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 15, 2025
The Trump administration wants to weaken federal habitat protections for imperiled plants and animals, and advocates in Maine say the changes could threaten some of the same species the state has been working to protect. Proposed federal changes would narrow the scope of the country’s landmark Endangered Species Act, making it easier to obtain federal development permits in areas used by endangered wildlife for nesting, breeding and foraging. Environmental groups say the proposed changes could hurt some Maine species, such as Atlantic salmon, Furbish’s lousewort, or piping plover.