PUBLIC COMMENTS until March 19 2020
the above link takes you to a page that explains changes to the MBTA, which basically boils down to: it will now be fine to kill any number of birds, as long as they die because you were doing something else, and not trying to kill birds on purpose.
So for example, if Monsanto fumigates their crops, and it kills ten thousand birds, that’s okay, because they were just trying to spray their fields with fertilizers or pesticides or whatever, they weren’t trying to kill birds.
You can see how this completely negates the purpose of the original legislation.
There is a link on that page, like so
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS-HQ-MB-2018-0090.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-MB-2018-0090; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; MS: JAO/1N; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.
That link takes you to a generic government site for ALL kinds of interactions. If you put the above Docket Number in the search bar it takes you to a page that has TWO buttons for commenting. Both buttons take you to an actual comment page where you can submit a comment. There are apparently two slightly different things happening on this bill. I can find nothing clearly describing which button is for what exactly, the ‘more information’ links are circular, taking you back to the earlier page.
To be safe, I left a comment on both. I kept them short and clear and applicable to any number of specifics, saying simply “I do not agree with this change to the MBTA. The MBTA serves its purpose well in protecting wildlife; this change will lessen those protections, and de-incentivize companies in ensuring their activities do not endanger wild bird populations and our greater ecology”
It takes 48 hours or more for your comment to be processed, so the deadline is probably more like March 16
Both “comment now” links can be found here
so far, only three thousand people have submitted comments.
Who knows how many of those are trumpian interns commenting in support? I have a nasty suspicious mind about these things.
