Trump administration to roll back rare beetle protections opposed by oil lobby

Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to 'downlist' the burying beetle, which would allow drilling in Oklahoma and nearby states

The Trump administration plans to weaken protections for a beetle threatened by extinction from climate change, lifting restrictions on oil and gas drilling in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

The American burying beetle, a shiny black bug covered with orange splotches, feeds it young from carcasses it buries, making it vulnerable to disruptions in soil. The species was listed as endangered in 1989.