"The Interior Department suspended a legal opinion holding companies liable for accidentally killing ducks, cranes, pelicans, owls and other bird species."
"The Interior Department has suspended a legal opinion that held companies liable for accidentally killing ducks, cranes, pelicans, owls and hundreds of other bird species.
In a memorandum dated Feb. 28 but posted online in recent days, Interior’s acting chief lawyer suspended every legal opinion issued by the 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.
The move delivers a win to the oil and gas industry, which has argued that the government has unfairly punished companies that never intended to harm birds. But it has sparked 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.”"
Dino Grandoni and Maxine Joselow report for the Washington Post March 10, 2025.
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