Interior Revokes Trump Migratory Bird Rule, Plans Safeguards (1)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is formally tossing out a Trump-era rule lifting penalties for companies that accidentally kill birds due to industrial activity, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Wednesday.

The Biden administration will now write its own rule implementing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act so that accidental killings, including those that died in oil spills, can be punished, Interior said in an announcement.

“Over 1,000 bird species are protected under the MBTA,” and climate change, development, and agricultural and forestry practices are imperiling them, Haaland said Wednesday on a call with reporters.

Haaland will issue a director’s ...