Bloomberg | Jennifer A Dlouhy | December 22, 2017
The Trump administration, reversing an Obama-era policy, said it won’t prosecute oil drillers, wind-farm developers and others who accidentally kill migratory birds.
That approach "hangs the sword of Damocles over a host of otherwise lawful and productive actions," the Interior Department’s solicitor said in a memorandum that reversed that interpretation.
The Trump administration withdrew that opinion in February. The versionthat replaced it Friday asserts that intent matters -- and accidental migratory bird deaths don’t violate the law.
"This commonsense approach ensures that lawful activities are not held hostage to unnecessary threats of criminalization," said Tim Charters, senior director of government affairs for the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents oil companies and wind developers working offshore.
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