While no one was looking, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that threatens to dismantle protections we’ve extended to migratory birds since 1918.
In a rider attached to a bill funding the Departments of Commerce and Justice is a new provision that prohibits the use of appropriated funds in prosecuting or holding liable any corporation or person that violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act thorough “the presence or operation of an otherwise lawful activity.”
If passed, HR 2578 will let major corporations off the hook for large-scale killings of migrating birds by windmills, toxic waste ponds, and the windows of tall buildings. In recent years, corporations have been fined for these activities. Instead of incentivizing safer practices, or using fines to mitigate losses, we are backsliding on the protection of our nation’s birds.
It’s a precedent we should be wary of setting. If it’s OK to kill ducks in toxic waste ponds, why not eliminate hunting seasons? Or promote the French tradition of ortolan—eating songbirds roasted in cognac— just as long as the birds are captured by an otherwise legal activity.
Nearly 100 years ago we decided it was unacceptable to let a select few benefit from the mass slaughter of birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is one of the best examples of international cooperation with Mexico, Canada, and other nations to protect birds that cross our borders. It is responsible for bringing threatened songbirds and waterfowl back from the brink of extinction.
A recent U.S. census put the number of declared birdwatchers at 60 million, making it the largest recreational activity in our nation. If you care about birds, make your voice heard.
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—This segment was adapted from an essay by Dr. William H. Schlesinger. You can read the original piece on his blog Citizen Scientist.
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Web Links
H.R.493 – CLEAN Energy Producers Act of 2015
Photo, posted March 4, 2010, courtesy of Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, with script contribution from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.