BILLINGS, Mont. (NEWSnet/AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday restored rules to protect imperiled plants and animals that had been rolled back under former President Donald Trump.

Among the changes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for species newly classified as threatened.

Under the new rules, officials will not consider economic impacts when deciding if animals and plants need protection 

The details of the proposed rules could take a year to finalize, according to The Associated Press. 

The Endangered Species Act is credited with helping save the bald eagle, California condor and scores more animals and plants from extinction since President Richard Nixon signed it into law. It currently protects more than 1,600 species in the United States and its territories.

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