Trump administration proceeds with rollback of bird protections

The Trump administration on Friday advanced its plans to cut federal protections that critics argue will be severely detrimental to the U.S. bird population. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday released its Final Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed change to the implementation of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) that would no longer penalize companies for actions that, incidentally or accidentally, kill migratory birds.  The act was passed to prevent the unregulated killing of or other harm to migratory birds. Under the proposed change, the government would no longer penalize companies for incidents in which birds may be killed such as electrocution on power lines, wind turbines that knock them from the air and oil field waste pits where landing birds can die in toxic water. A federal judge in New York in August rejected a 2017 legal opinion justifying the proposed change, although the agency has pushed forward with the change, regardless. According to The Associated Press, federal officials advanced the bird treaty changes to the White House, one of the final steps before adoption, just two days after President-elect Joe Biden was projected the winner of the 2020 election...MORE