Oil giant Exxon Mobil has plead guilty to accusations of killing over 85 protected birds including waterfowl, hawks, and owls in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act according to the Department of Justice.
Under the plea agreement reached yesterday with DOJ, the company will pay $600,000, as well as make changes to prevent related deaths in the future. Exxon told the court it has already spent $2.5 million on the effort.
A representative of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division said "Exxon Mobil has worked with us and we commend them for that."
Well sure. If my company set record quarterly net profits of $14.83 billion, I don't think I'd be making a fuss about coughing up $600,000 for a few dead birds.