New bird legislation introduced

[Laura Bies]

Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Ca.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) teamed up to introduce two pieces of bird-related legislation into the U.S. Congress, just before the Congress adjourned until after the November elections.

The Migratory Bird Protection Act will modernize the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, codifying long-standing protections for birds from “incidental take,” such as preventable harm from industrial activities. It will direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop new permit system for incidental take and establish a Migratory Bird Recovery Fund to help direct resources to birds of conservation concern. The bill was previously introduced in 2021. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had begin a rulemaking to regulate incidental take, but that action was put on hold by the administration in late 2023. 

The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act would implement a 1999 international agreement to conserve 31 species of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, known as the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Thirteen other countries have already ratified the agreement.

Given that the current Congress ends in December, these bills are unlikely to advance this session, but hopefully the momentum created by their introduction will carry over to the next Congress.

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