Charles Creitz EXCLUSIVE: The Interior and Commerce Departments are scrapping a sweeping Endangered Species Act (ESA) rule that officials say past administrations "weaponized" to block energy production, logging, infrastructure projects and private citizens' land use. Officials pointed to several ESA-listed species they say triggered undue or burdensome restrictions by treating habitat modification as potential "harm" to protected species, purportedly expanding the ESA's "harm" provision.