Trump Administration Strips Migratory Bird Protections Right Before Deepwater Horizon Spill Disaster Anniversary

Today marks the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which killed 11 people and spilled more than 210 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. All told, more than 1 million birds, at least 1,000 bottle-nosed dolphins and many other mammals were killed in the four years after the spill. While the Gulf Coast is still recovering from this disaster, it could have been much worse without our country's landmark environmental laws, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). BP paid $100 million-dollars in criminal fines under this Act that supported wetland and migratory bird conservation.

But on the eve of our nation’s biggest environmental disaster, the Trump administration issued new guidance that precludes the enforcement of the MBTA in preventable events like the Deepwater Horizon spill, allowing companies to forego practical best management practices to protect birds as they no longer face enforcement for failing to do so. What's more, about 500,000 to 1 million birds die in oil pits and with the issuance of this guidance, this number is likely to increase.

Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO, Jamie Rappaport Clark, issued this statement:

“The Deepwater Horizon tragedy is a vivid reminder of what happens when oil companies cut corners. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act required BP to address the deaths of 1 million birds. But now the Trump administration has eviscerated the safeguards of this landmark wildlife conservation law by exempting industry from liability when their negligent activities predictably kill migratory birds. On the centennial of the Act, and the anniversary of our nation’s biggest environmental disaster, Congress and the Trump administration should protect Migratory Bird Treaty Act instead of letting industry off the hook for unmitigated bird deaths.”