Chair Grijalva: Trump-Era Rewrite of Migratory Bird Treaty Act Rule “Wasn’t Worth the Paper it’s Printed On,” Biden Right to Pause and Seek Public Input

Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration pause for a 30-day public comment period before finalizing any rewrite of a regulation implementing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The Trump administration published a final rule last month attempting to limit the scope of the law and eliminating penalties for the incidental – rather than intentional – injury or death of migratory birds. The rule, which would have had an effective date of Feb. 8, is now on hold pending a U.S Fish and Wildlife Service public comment period and a reconsideration of the rule’s purpose and scope.

Grijalva released the following statement: “The Trump administration’s rules often weren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, and making it easier and cheaper for corporate polluters to kill birds was no exception. Oversight from Congress made the cruelty and selfishness of this approach clear from the beginning, and I want to thank my colleague Rep. Alan Lowenthal for his leadership in highlighting the downsides of this obviously broken attempt at a rulemaking. The Biden administration has done an excellent job of refocusing public regulations on public input and public good rather than polluters’ checkbooks. I look forward to working with them to establish a conservation standard that’s protective of at-risk species.”

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Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

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