WASHINGTON (January 30, 2020) – “The Trump Administration’s Bird Killer Department, formerly known as the Department of the Interior, just gets crueler and more craven every day,” said David Yarnold, president and CEO of 吃瓜黑料 (@david_yarnold). “And today they are doubling down despite the fact that America did not elect this administration to kill birds.” Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposed rule that eliminates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's (MBTA) prohibition on the killing or "taking" of migratory birds from industrial activities, such as birds flying into uncovered oil pits or other predictable and avoidable killing – also known as “incidental take”. That policy change first appeared in a 2017 Department of the Interior legal opinion (M-37050), but with this rulemaking it would be cemented as an official regulation. “For decades, both Republican and Democratic administrations have relied on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as...