A federal judge says an environmental group and others have failed to show that the Arizona population of bald eagles deserves temporary protection.
U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must reconsider whether the birds qualify as distinct and gave the agency until April to produce a new review.
Plaintiffs, including the Center for Biological Diversity, had asked Campbell to issue an order protecting the birds in the meantime.
But Campbell denied the request this week. He says that although the plaintiffs have noted possible harm from development, water use and energy projects, they have not shown the eagles will suffer irreparable harm from any of the sources absent protection.
Bald eagles nationwide were removed from the endangered species list in 2007.
