Rusty-Patched Bumblebee First Specie To Be Listed As Endangered; Lawsuit Was Filed Against The Government; Not Protected Enough?

Many have known the contribution that the bees gave to the environment. Currently, some species of bees are under threat. One species called the rusty-patched bumblebee is first on the list of the endangered species.

The bee species has been running up and down for years to be part of the endangered. This year, after a month-long delay for the newly required review conducted by the Trump administration, the rusty-patched bumblebee is the first bee species to enter the Endangered Species Act.

Thus, the Natural Resources Defense Council has filed a lawsuit to challenge the delay. Also, the lawsuit has the possibility to be replaced by another that comes from the housing developers, the coalition of oil farm and energy lobbies that filed a petition to the Interior Department for the delay of the status of the bee's status.

The Washington Post reported that the Interior Department is caught between the industry and the conservationist. They walk a fine line during its announcement, on Tuesday about the bee's new protection. "The department will work with stakeholders to ensure collaborative conservation among landowners, farmers, industry, and developers."

The Rusty-patched bumblebees usually nest in underground colonies, if not in the fields. This can sometimes cause worry for the farmers. Hence, the coalition argued that the fast determination ignored the hundreds of comments on their behalf and ignored the clear flaws in the science and data on which the service depends in listing the rusty-patched bumblebee.

Meanwhile, according to NBC News, the senior attorney of the nonprofit Natural resources Defense Council, who's the environmental advocacy group filed the federal lawsuit against the government, Rebecca Riley said that the Trump Administration reversed the course "just in the nick of time."

She added that the "Federal protections may be the only thing standing between the bumble bee and extinction." The slow disappearance of the bees has already brought attention to many as they are on the trusted pollinators.