News & Analysis as of

Oil & Gas Incidental Take Permits

Holland & Knight LLP

Court Strikes Down Key Endangered Species Act Opinion

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A federal court has thrown out key Endangered Species Act (ESA) analyses of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, which will be vacated as of Dec. 20, 2024. The United States District Court for the District of...more

Nossaman LLP

Biden Administration Turns Its Focus on Birds

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In the last few weeks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has published several major regulatory actions affecting federal avian protections.  The Service has repealed a Trump-era rule that excluded incidental take...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Biden Administration Looks To Recriminalize Accidental Bird Deaths In Traditional And Renewable Energy Sectors

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

The Biden administration has signaled its intention to recriminalize non-purposeful, or incidental, “takes” of birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”). The longstanding debate over the scope of criminal liability...more

Nossaman LLP

Trump Administration Finalizes Migratory Bird Rule

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On January 7, 2021, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a final rule limiting the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)’s prohibition on the take of migratory birds....more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - August 2020 #2

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Federal court blocks Interior Department’s relaxation of migratory bird safeguards - U.S. News & World Report – August 12 - The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this Tuesday struck down a U.S....more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Virginia’s Alternative Take on Migratory Birds

The Commonwealth of Virginia is pursuing migratory bird protection in response to the Trump administration’s proposed relaxation of Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”) enforcement....more

(ACOEL) | American College of Environmental...

Migratory Bird Treaty Act -- Scope of Act Rule

On February 3rd, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would completely eliminate criminal penalties for “incidental” migratory bird deaths under the Migratory Bird Treaty...more

Perkins Coie

Bird Is the Word: US Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes Narrow Interpretation of Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a proposed rule on January 30, 2020, that narrowly interprets the protections afforded by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The new rule would provide that the MBTA prohibits only the...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Endangered Species Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Invite Public Comment on Incidental Take Permit Applications to Participate...

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) issued an August 14th Federal Register Notice asking for public comment on federally listed American burying-beetle incidental take permit applications. See 83 Fed. Reg....more

Perkins Coie

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Issues Guidance on Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permits

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a guidance memorandum addressing when an incidental take permit may be needed under Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act for projects that modify habitat of federally...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Fish and Wildlife Service Doubles Down on Department of Interior Opinion on Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)

On April 11, 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a Memorandum titled “Guidance on the recent M-Opinion affecting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act” (the “Memorandum”), giving field advice to its enforcement...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Endangered Species Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Request for Public Comment on Incidental Take Permit Applications to...

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) issued a December 5th Federal Register Notice asking for public comment on federally listed American burying-beetle incidental take permit applications. See 82 Fed. Reg....more

Latham & Watkins LLP

Court Limits Migratory Bird Treaty Act Applicability to Incidental Take

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On September 4, 2015, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling in United States v. CITGO that a “taking” subject to prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) does not include the...more

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP

Liability for Unintentional Bird Deaths Still Up in the Air

The recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that unintentional bird deaths under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”) are not “takes” under the MBTA and therefore not subject to criminal liability, adds fodder to the...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Fifth Circuit Decision in Citgo Case May Place Limits on Criminal Liability Under Migratory Bird Treaty Act

On September 4, 2015, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed convictions of CITGO Petroleum Corporation and CITGO Refining and Chemical Company, L.P. (collectively "Citgo"), and in so doing placed potentially...more

Locke Lord LLP

Fifth Circuit Holds that Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply to Incidental Takes - What It Means for Energy Developers

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On September 4, 2015, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the misdemeanor convictions of Citgo Petroleum Corporation and Citgo Refining and Chemicals Company, L.P. (collectively Citgo) for “taking” migratory birds in...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Fish & Wildlife Service Issues Notice of Intent to Regulate Incidental Take of Migratory Birds

On May 26, 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) published a notice of its intent to evaluate potential ways to regulate incidental takes of migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”). The Notice...more

Bracewell LLP

A Permit System May Finally Arrive for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act - New Opportunities and Responsibilities

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For years, Federal Courts have held that individuals can be held criminally liable under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) for the death of birds regardless of whether they intended to harm them. While several courts have...more

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