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UPDATE: Migratory Bird Treaty Act Safe For Now
First, a warm thank you to all the ABA members and friends who took the time to contact their representatives regarding the appropriations threat to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that we detailed a few weeks ago. We have good news to report.
Sing loud and proud about the work of the birding community this week. Western meadowlark from the ABA’s recent Spearfish Rally.
Congressman Jeff Duncan (R, SC) had the opportunity to include his amendment during floor debate on an Interior Department Appropriations Bill and he did not do so. This means that the appropriations bills move forward without the Duncan amendment concerning the MBTA. For now, that amendment appears to be dead.
Birders and advocates for birds deserve credit for rallying in defense of this terrible legislation. Whether you contacted your representatives independently, or via form emails from the American Bird Conservancy or Audubon, that small action resonated. It was a great example of the birding community coming together and accomplishing something productive for birds through legislative channels.
So hold that small victory in your mind, because it’s not over for the MBTA, sadly. Another bill, introduced again by our pal Duncan seeks to limit the MBTA in small cuts rather than a single blow. H.R. 493, “Clarification of Legal Enforcement Against Non-criminal Energy Producers Act of 2015 or the CLEAN Energy Producers Act of 2015″, seeks to do the following:
This bill amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt from criminal liability any taking, killing, or other harm to a migratory bird that is accidental or incidental to the presence or operation of an otherwise lawful activity.
It’s currently languishing in the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, but birders might be moved to contact their reps if those reps are on that subcommittee, or are co-sponsors of that bill. Duncan seems determined to push these changes through by hook or by crook, and his contacts with Duke Energy and the wind industry, as documented by Audubon here, appear to be behind it.
We’ll try to keep you posted on any further threats to US bird-relevant laws, as they become available. But birders should feel proud of the way this fell out. We can make our voices heard.
Join the American Birding Association at www.aba.org!
Source: http://blog.aba.org/2015/07/update-migratory-bird-treaty-act-safe-for-now.html
