Save the law that held BP accountable for bird deaths from the Gulf oil spill.

National Audubon Society
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Save the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
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Save the law that held BP accountable for bird deaths from the Gulf oil spill.
Photo of a Snowy Egret wading near reeds. Credit: Kevin Rutherford/Audubon Photography Awards
The MBTA protects more than 1,000 bird species, including iconic Gulf birds such as Snowy Egrets.

Dear Audubon Advocate,

Eight years ago today, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people and unleashed the worst environmental tragedy in U.S. history. Now the Trump Administration and some members of Congress are trying to gut the law that held BP accountable for the deaths of an estimated one million birds.

Urge your members of Congress to oppose changes that would weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Without America’s most important bird conservation law—the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)—BP would have had a free pass to kill birds with impunity. While the law can’t bring those birds back to life, the $100 million in penalties BP paid under the law is helping restore and protect fragile marshlands, vulnerable beaches, shrinking forests, and other habitat across the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Legislation introduced by Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) would absolve companies of all responsibility for bird deaths in the course of otherwise legal business. And, in a surprise attack just before Christmas—when it thought no one was paying attention—the Department of the Interior issued a legal opinion directing law enforcement to stop prosecuting industries for practices that kill migratory birds.

It’s especially important for our Gulf Coast members of Congress to hear about how the Migratory Bird Treaty Act helps our region. Please email your representative and senators today and ask them to protect our birds by upholding the MBTA.

Sincerely,
Douglas J. Meffert
Vice President, Gulf Coast and Mississippi Flyway
National Audubon Society
P.S. If you have time, please add a sentence or two to the beginning of your letter. For instance, you can let them know how long you have lived in the Gulf Coast region or about personal experiences you have had enjoying birds or recreation near the Gulf. Letters that are personalized at the beginning stand out more and have a greater impact.
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Photo: Kevin Rutherford/Audubon Photography Awards
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