Exxon Mobil has pleaded guilty to killing migratory birds in five states, and will pay about $7,000 for each bird killed, Justice Department officials said yesterday. ExxonMobil pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of approximately 85 migratory birds, most of which died after exposure to natural gas well reserve pits and waste water storage facilities. Birds died in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas between 2004 and 2009, reported Associated Press. Officials said that at those sites, birds would either get coated in hydrocarbons or ingest the oily waste, leading to their deaths. None of the birds are on the government’s list of endangered or threatened species. The firm will pay $600,000 in a fine and payments to wetlands preservation funds. That is roughly equal to what ExxonMobil makes every 20 minutes, based on their $8.6 billion earnings for the first half of 2009. The company has also agreed to make changes to prevent such bird deaths in the future, and says it has already spent $2.5 million in the effort.
ExxonMobil Found Guilty of Bird Deaths, Fined $600,000
ExxonMobil pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of approximately 85 migratory birds, most of which died after exposure to natural gas well.
August 13, 2009