Trump officials move to relax rules on killing birds

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Trump administration proceeds with rollback of bird protections despite objections of scientists, environmentalists

BY CELINE CASTRONUOVO - 11/27/20 02:37 PM EST

The Trump administration on Friday advanced its plans to cut federal regulation protections for birds despite criticisms from scientists and former federal officials that the move will likely 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 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) that would greatly limit federal authority to prosecute industries for practices that kill migratory birds.

The act was first passed “to stop the unregulated killing of migratory birds,” according to Friday’s report. Under the legislation, the Fish and Wildlife Service regulates the “taking” of migratory birds, which includes “to pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.”

The proposed change seeks to clarify the scope of the definition, although many have pointed out that the change will scale back federal prosecution authority for the threats birds face from industry, including 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.

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Migratory Birds - Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)
Documents and Resources

Federal Register documents

• Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds, A Proposed Rule by the Fish and Wildlife Service on February 3, 2020 | PDF version
• EIS Notice of Intent - Migratory Bird Permits; Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds; Environmental Impact Statement, February 3, 2020 | PDF version
• Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds, published June 5, 2020 | PDF Version
• Final Environmental Impact Statement for Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds, published November 27, 2020 | PDF Version

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