New York Times: Trump administration to 'weaken' protections for migratory birds

Evil.


New York Times: Trump administration to 'weaken' protections for migratory birds
By Devan Cole, CNN
Updated 10:40 AM ET, Thu January 30, 2020


Washington (CNN)A more than 100-year-old law protecting migratory birds from unintentional deaths by oil and gas companies and construction crews could be weakened by the Trump administration "as early as Thursday," The New York Times reported Thursday.

The Times said the administration is planning to eliminate the "threat of punishment" provided by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 to companies and organizations that unintentionally kill birds while performing their work. The new rule would solidify a legal opinion the Interior Department released in 2017, the paper said, which argued "only actions explicitly intended to kill birds should be forbidden under the federal law."

The new rule would mean that deaths of birds from an oil slick or by the distribution of illegal pesticides would not lead to financial penalties, according to the Times.

The paper said it will be "difficult" for the administration to complete the new rule by the November presidential election, but that the department "has indicated it will push aggressively to do so."

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https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/politics/migratory-birds-protections-trump-administration/index.html