Morning Reads for Friday, February 5, 2021

Now we learn Trump hates birds (plus a lot of other wildlife)
“The Interior Department is delaying a last-minute Trump administration rule that would have weakened a century-old law protecting migratory birds, Interior officials said Thursday.

Two weeks before former President Donald Trump left office, the Interior Department published a final rule that would have left the federal government unable to enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act against polluters whose actions lead to the accidental deaths of more than 1,000 migratory bird species.

The rule was set to go into effect Monday.

The Biden administration Interior Department did not specify how long the delay would be, but said it would allow the department to “determine what next steps may be taken.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service is also opening a 20-day public comment period on the rule.

The rule codified Trump administration policy not to enforce the law in instances of accidental bird deaths. A federal judge ruled last year that was inconsistent with the meaning of the law. The Trump administration finalized the rule anyway on Jan. 7.

“The Trump administration sought to overturn decades of bipartisan and international precedent in order to protect corporate polluters,” Interior spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said in a statement. “At President Biden’s direction, Interior is delaying and reviewing the Trump administration’s rollback of the MBTA to ensure continued progress toward common sense standards that protect wildlife and their habitats.””
https://georgiarecorder.com/brief/interior-delays-last-minute-trump-rule-that-would-weaken-bird-protections/
“Mar 2 2017
Unethical hunting practices in Alaska’s National Preserves
The National Park Service repeals a rule against deeply unethical tactics—such as shooting animals from aircraft— in targeting bears, wolves, coyotes, caribou and other wildlife in national preserves in Alaska.
Oct 1 2017
Sage grouse protections removed
This is the largest action by the Trump administration, to date, that opens federal lands for fossil fuel leasing. It amounts to little more than an attempt to convert nearly 9 million acres of critical habitat for sage grouse—an endangered icon of the West—into cattle pasture and sites for fracking rigs.
Feb 16 2017
Stream protection rule repealed
If you think a rule to prevent mining companies from dumping waste from mountaintop removal operations directly into streams and other waterways sounds like a good idea, you’re not alone. But killing the rule was part of Trump’s promise to “bring back coal,” which hasn’t worked out so well. While the rules regulating coal companies are more lax now than they’ve been in generations, Americans, by and large, are rejecting coal as a fuel for power production.
https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trumps-record-environment-and-public-lands-worse-you-think/7715139