The Trump Administration last week did what Congress or any previous presidential administration couldn’t or wouldn’t: modernize federal agency processes under the 46-year-old Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Interior Secretary David Bern­hardt announced three new rules to ensure that the ESA better fulfills the purpose of species recovery while making the law work better for landowners.

These im­­provements matter because ESA restrictions hinder farming and ranching — something that’s understandable when it truly is needed to benefit a species. However, it’s extremely frustrating when the farmer or rancher knows the restrictions will do little for the critters they’re supposed to help or when species remain on the endangered list long ...