In the last weeks of his administration, Trump lifted protections on birds and arctic land.

President Biden has begun his term by undoing much of the work of his predecessor. In addition to his work on COVID-19 responses, Biden must turn his attention towards the environment. Former president Donald Trump made multiple last-minute changes to promote industry at the expense of environmental protections. These policies could have disastrous consequences for arctic environments and migratory birds, both of which are already facing significant danger. 

Arctic ecosystems and migratory bird populations could suffer tremendously if these reforms come to pass. In regard to migratory birds, Eric Glitzenstein, director of litigation at the Center for Biological Diversity has called the reforms, “Horrendous,” saying, “It will just have a really overwhelmingly negative effect on our already dwindling bird populations.” This proposal goes hand-in-hand with another environmental policy change that would open up vast swathes of arctic land—much of which is wildlife reserve—to oil companies. 

The new regulation regarding birds protects oil and gas companies from legal repercussions for accidentally killing migratory birds. That essentially means the damage that industrial pollutants like oil spills, toxic waste, and power lines do to these birds will go unpunished. This regulation is a sinister complement to the arctic land reform, especially considering the fact that much of the land in question—specifically the Teshekpuk Lake Reserve—serves as a prime habitat for migratory birds.

However, there is still hope for protecting these arctic environments and the birds that nest in them, the Biden team has promised to repeal many of Trump’s last-minute policy changes. Richard Revesz, a professor of environmental law at New York University has expressed confidence that, in regard to the migratory bird reforms “One way or another the most pernicious of these rules will end up getting undone.” There is still some uncertainty as to how long it will take to undo these changes, so whether or not significant damage can be avoided has yet to be seen.