Migratory Bird Treaty Act Under Attack--by none other than a Cheney. Earlier this month, in a last-minute move with little debate, Representative Liz Cheney snuck an amendment into a larger energy bill that would gut the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This provision, added during a House committee vote, would turn back the clock decades in protecting birds and give industries a free pass to kill birds with impunity.
The Cheney amendment was added to HR 4239, the SECURE American Energy Act, during a House Natural Resources Committee mark-up of the bill. The provision would end any enforcement of “incidental take,” which means that oil companies and other industries would no longer be held responsible for bird deaths resulting from their activities. The bill also contains numerous other harmful provisions that threaten public lands, waters, and wildlife. Learn more at the National Audubon Society's website.