BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration has reversed a policy imposed under President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government’s power to enforce a century-old law protecting most U.S. bird species.

Trump ended criminal prosecutions against companies responsible for bird deaths that could have been prevented.

The move halted enforcement practices that resulted most notably in a $100 million settlement after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill killed about 100,000 birds.

Interior spokesman Tyler Cherry says the Trump policy allowed industry to kill birds with impunity.

Industry groups have said they'll work with the administration of President Joe Biden as it plans new standards to protect birds.

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