Eagle Take Permit Program Revamped – Longer Permits and Clearer Mitigation Requirements
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed revisions to its regulations authorizing take of bald and golden eagles.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (“BGEPA”) imposes criminal and civil penalties against “whoever . . . shall take . . . any bald . . . or any golden eagle, alive or dead, or any part, nest, or egg thereof . . . .” “Take” is broadly defined to mean “pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, molest or disturb.” The United States has expressed its intent to pursue companies that violate BGEPA.