"The halted regulation would block energy companies and other parties from being prosecuted for unintentionally killing migratory birds."
"The Biden administration on Thursday delayed the implementation of a Trump-era rule that gutted protections for hundreds of species of migratory birds.
Finalized in former President Donald Trump’s final days in office, the rule codified a 2017 legal interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) that effectively legalized the killing of migratory birds by corporations and individuals so long as the deaths were not intentional.
Interior Department officials said Thursday that the rule, which was slated to take effect Feb. 8, will be reviewed and opened back up to a 20-day public comment period.
“The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is a bedrock environmental law critical to protecting migratory birds and restoring declining bird populations,” Interior spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said in a statement. “The Trump administration sought to overturn decades of bipartisan and international precedent in order to protect corporate polluters.”"
