Trump to Reconsider Protections for Imperiled Monarch Butterfly

The Trump administration on Tuesday took its first steps to avoid protecting the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service reopened a public comment period on a Biden administration proposal to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the ESA. The comment period is being extended from March 12 to May 19.

The monarch butterfly, a pollinator known for its long migrations between central Mexico and the northern US, has been declining precipitously in recent years, according to seasonal counts by conservation groups and scientists.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t say ...