司法部为废除濒危物种法"伤害"定义辩护：四起诉讼提交裁决动议
司法部周四宣布，其环境与自然资源司已在四起诉讼中提交即决判决动议，为一项新规辩护——该规则废除了《濒危物种法》实施条例中"伤害"（harm）一词的监管定义。四起案件分别在加州北区与南卡罗来纳区联邦法院审理。 "伤害"的定义长期决定着"破坏栖息地"是否算伤害受保护物种：旧定义把显著改变栖息地纳入"伤害"，新规将其剔除。环保团体在多州起诉挑战，司法部称，这四起是全国同类挑战中首批走到诉讼裁决阶段的案件。 裁决结果将影响联邦野生动物署与国家海洋渔业局在全国的执法尺度——从加州神鹫到洄游鱼类，加州不少物种的保护力度都系于这条定义。GSM 将跟进法院裁决。（据司法部公告）
DOJ Defends Rule Dropping ESA "Harm" Definition in Four Court Cases
The Justice Department announced Thursday that its Environment and Natural Resources Division has filed motions for summary judgment in four cases, defending a rule that rescinds the regulatory definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act. The cases are in the Northern District of California and the District of South Carolina. The definition has long decided whether destroying habitat counts as harming a protected species: the old definition included significant habitat modification; the new rule removes it. Environmental groups have sued in several states, and DOJ says these four are the first of the nationwide challenges to reach this stage of litigation. The rulings will shape how the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service enforce the law nationwide — from California condors to migratory fish, protections for many California species hinge on this definition. GSM will follow the decisions. (From the DOJ announcement.)
图片来源：图片：加州神鹫（CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源）/ California condor (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)