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Amid a decade of die-offs and a sharp decline in the population of gray whales that swim along the Pacific coast of North America, three environmental groups are preparing to sue the Trump administration over its failure to bring back Endangered Species Act protections for the animals.
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The Center for Biological Diversity, the International Marine Mammal Project and Oasis Earth on Tuesday submitted a to sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over gray whale protections.
Oasis Earth submitted a a year ago to NOAA Fisheries for a threatened or endangered listing to be granted to the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population. But the agency neither issued a 90-day finding on the petition’s validity nor a 12-month finding on the population’s status, as required under the law, the groups’ notice said.
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With its population halved over the past decade, the gray whales’ situation is dire, the groups said. Lapses in Endangered Species Act action put the whales “at greater risk of extinction,” their notice said. “These delays contribute to the decline of the gray whale population.”
A notice of intent to sue, which is filed at least 90 days before a complaint is filed, is required under the Endangered Species Act.
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