ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 5, 2021
The Trump administration on Tuesday finalized changes that weaken the government’s enforcement powers under a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species, brushing aside warnings that billions of birds could die as a result. A U.S. District Court judge in August had blocked the administration’s prior attempt to change how the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is enforced. But urged on by industry groups, the Trump administration has remained adamant that the act has been wielded inappropriately to penalize companies that kill birds accidentally. More than 1,000 species are covered under the migratory bird law. Industry sources now kill an estimated 460 million to 1.4 billion birds annually in North America.