Interior's wildlife chief resigns amid changes to endangered species rules

The Interior Department's wildlife chief resigned as the agency is in the middle of a making a number of changes to how it enforces endangered species protections.Sheehan is leaving at a time when the Interior Department issued three major regulations changing how it enforces the Endangered Species Act, which critics say favor developers and energy companies.Sheehan had served on the Utah wildlife management service before coming to Washington. There , he oversaw the development of state-based management plans for the greater the chicken-sized sage grouse, the Utah prairie dog, and other animals native to the state. The agency said he was "a key liaison" between the states and the Interior Department on Endangered Species Act issues.