The Trump administration passed legal amendments Tuesday that weaken the government’s power under a law that protects most species of wild birds, despite warnings that billions of birds could die.
Wildlife officials have acknowledged that the new regulations could kill birds that fall into oil wells or collide with power lines or other structures.
A federal judge in August blocked the government’s previous attempt to modify the application of the Migratory Bird Law.
But under the spur of industrial chambers, the Trump administration maintains that the law has been improperly applied for decades to penalize companies and other entities that accidentally kill birds.
The law covers a thousand species, and the decision to relax enforcement standards has sparked a strong backlash from organizations representing the roughly 46 million amateur ornithologists.
Conservationists said Tuesday they will ask President-elect Joe Biden to overturn the measure, which prohibits criminal charges unless it involves the intentional killing or mutilation of the birds.
Independent scientists have said the amendment could dramatically raise bird mortality at a time when many species in North America are in decline.
Industrial sources kill between 450 and 1.1 billion birds annually, out of a population of 7.2 billion in North America, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The 1918 law was passed after legal and poaching had decimated many bird populations, often to obtain the feathers that adorned women’s hats.
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