With just two weeks left in office, the lame duck Trump administration published a rule to allow industries to kill migrating birds so long as they don’t intentionally kill them. The rule, which would weaken a century-old law protecting migratory birds, is based on a legal opinion rejected and vacated by a federal judge last August. Oil pits alone kill up to 1 million birds per year, and oil industry groups including the American Petroleum Institute and American Exploration and Production Council cheered the new rule. The rule would appear to reverse Trump’s previously expressed concern for the lives of birds. (Washington Post $, E&E $, Politico Pro $, The Hill, Washington Examiner)