Media Contact: Jordan Rutter, Director of Public Relations| jerutter@abcbirds.org | @JERutter

Antillean Mango female feeding chick. Photo by Tony Pe

(Washington, D.C., October 21, 2021) A recent article mischaracterized American Bird Conservancy's position on energy development and climate change. Here are the key facts:

• ABC recognizes that renewable energy is essential in the fight against climate change. We support wind energy when specific steps are taken to minimize bird mortality, including siting projects outside of areas critical for birds. ABC has actively opposed a tiny fraction of all wind projects.
• We stand up for birds against many threats, from expanded oil and gas development in the habitat of the Greater Sage-Grouse to wind energy facilities in critically important areas for bird migration.
• ABC began to take a more proactive approach to addressing wind impacts on birds as the industry began a rapid expansion, coupled with a push for completely voluntary — rather than required — guidelines for bird protection, followed by lobbying to have the Migratory Bird Treaty Act nullified for industrial bird killing.
• Funding from the oil and gas industry accounted for 1.25 percent of ABC's 2020 budget and helped fund bird conservation science programs for migratory species.
• ABC, along with multiple partners, sued the prior Administration over changes to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that weakened birds' protections from energy impacts, including oil spills and wind turbines.
• ABC clearly recognizes the threat of climate change and continues to take steps to minimize the impacts of climate change on birds through activities including habitat conservation and tree planting in the U.S., Peru, and many other countries.

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American Bird Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Find us on abcbirds.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ABCbirds).