Birds Face Weakened Protections Under Trump Move

In a reprise of the first Trump administration, migratory birds are again facing weakened protections under federal law. The issue at hand: Should companies be held responsible if birds are killed accidentally, for example in oil spills or waste pits? The answer has ping-ponged back and forth in recent years under different interpretations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one of the nation’s oldest environmental laws. Now, as part of a sweeping suspension of legal opinions made by the Interior Department under President Joseph R.

Biden Jr., the Trump administration is again prioritizing energy companies and other industries that do not want to be penalized when birds die accidentally because of their actions. “It basically means that the Fish and Wildlife Service won’t take enforcement action against any private party that unintentionally kills migratory birds,” said Tara Zuardo, senior advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.



“It’s devastating.” Had the Trump administration’s view been in place during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, she said, BP would have avoided some $100 million in fines, money that went to bird conservation. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

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