'This is big': Trump weakens key environmental law by suspending legal opinions on accidental bird killings

The US Interior Department has recently suspended legal opinions concerning the accidental killings of birds, ducks, cranes, owls, and pelicans, which has further triggered severe concerns among conservationists.

Under Trump's presidency, the department suspended a legal opinion that held companies liable for accidentally killing bird species.

In a memorandum dated February 28, but released online in recent days, the Interior’s acting chief lawyer suspended every legal opinion issued by the former President Joe Biden administration, including one that subjected companies to penalties for accidentally killing birds through activities such as oil and gas drilling, wind energy production, mining, or construction.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The decision turns out to be victory for the oil and gas industry, who have been arguing that the government has unfairly punished companies that never intended to harm birds.

'This is big'

However, the move has raised alarm from conservationists who warn that bird populations are already plunging because of climate change and human encroachment into their habitats.

“This is going to affect a significant number of migratory birds, and we’re already seeing plummeting populations of certain species,” said Tara Zuardo, a lawyer at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. “This is big.”

Scott Lauermann, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute stressed that their industry is committed to the protection of migratory birds, and they look forward to working with the Department of the Interior to advance common sense policies that both protect wildlife and support American energy dominance.

Moreover, the oil tycoon Harold Hamm, who helped raise millions of dollars for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, has criticised penalties under the landmark law.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1918 and is one of the nation’s oldest environmental laws.

This act was passed by Congress after the disappearance of several once-common birds such as the passenger pigeon. It was adopted to stop the killing of birds for sport or for the use of their feathers in fashion.

Notably, in Trump’s first term, the Interior Department restricted the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by limiting prosecution to those who purposefully killed birds.

However, a federal judge struck down that decision in 2020.

US District Judge Valerie E. Caproni said, “It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime… But if the Department of the Interior has its way, many mockingbirds and other migratory birds that delight people and support ecosystems throughout the country will be killed without legal consequence.”

However, later in 2021, the Biden administration reversed Trump's rule.

(With inputs from agencies)