Tag Archives: House Natural Resources Committee
IS THE G.A.O. SLOWWALKING ITS INVESTIGATION OF OFFSHORE WIND IMPACTS? By Jim Lovgren
On June 15, 2023, Congressman Chris Smith issued a press release touting the acceptance by the General Accountability Office [GAO], of a request by the House Natural Resources Committee to investigate a wide range of issues related to the development of offshore wind. The Committee letter, signed by Chairman Bruce Westerman, was submitted on May 15 th , 2023, almost a year ago. I bring this up because the average time-length of most GAO investigations is three months. Which begs the question; Is the Biden administration “slow-walking” the GAO investigation? Slow-walking is the act of purposefully delaying action by stalling, stonewalling, making excuses of how hard it is to do, and other whiney efforts at delaying an investigation until it fails because it is too late. It is the bureaucrat’s favorite weapon of choice when forced to disclose vital information, that their politician benefactors don’t want exposed. more, >>click to read<< 06:10
Pro-fish or primarily pro-tribe? Critics say Peltola shows true goal as congresswoman for some, not all Alaskans
Is Mary Peltola really the pro-fish candidate? What does pro-fish mean, when the ultimate intent is to not put salmon in a wildlife refuge, but conserve a resource so you can kill the fish, slice them up, and eat them? According to some in the fishing crowd in Kodiak last week, Peltola misses the mark when it comes to fishing, as an economy and as a way of life for many Alaskans. Not all were impressed with her at the Kodiak candidate forum focused on fishing. Before she left Washington, D.C. at the end of September, Peltola, the Democrat congresswoman finishing Congressman Don Young’s term, voted in the House Natural Resources Committee to authorize a rewrite of the Magnuson Stevens Act with an important added provision: Bycatch would be banned, so severely curtailed that critics claim a judge could rule that commercial fishing itself could be shut down, depending on what environmentalist litigants want. >click to read< 09:18
Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act – Partisan Politics Threaten to Sink Reform of Federal Fisheries Law
A divided Congress and the unexpected death of an Alaska congressman appear to have derailed federal legislation meant to improve oversight and management of U.S. fisheries, especially in the face of climate change. The House Natural Resources Committee passed a Democratic-sponsored bill last week to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act for the first time since 2006. While it’s possible the bill will receive a vote on the House floor before the end of the year, its chances of being taken up in the Senate, much less receiving the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster, is unlikely — at least in this Congress. >click to read< 11:42
Hawaii Fish Council Urges Trump To Open Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument To Fishing
The council’s latest push comes on the heels of an executive order President Donald Trump signed on May 7 that’s meant to slash federal regulations and ease environmental burdens on American aquaculture and commercial fishing industries in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic. In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, two of Trump’s top advisors, Joe Grogan and Peter Navarro, said the president’s new order would “help reduce pain in the grocery checkout line — and also strengthen U.S. food production against foreign competition.” A provision in Trump’s order calls on the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils to submit “a prioritized list of recommended actions to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production within sustainable fisheries.” Skeptics, including U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman,, Trump’s order gave each council 180 days to submit recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce. >click to read< 12:42
The MSA and Don Young’s partisan dilemma
“We must remain committed to the bipartisan, bicameral tradition of fisheries management,” Rep. Don Young wrote last Sunday, “and my legislation accomplishes just that.” He was referring to the reauthorization of Magnuson-Stevens Act. But when the House passed it on Wednesday, only nine Democrats voted in favor of it. Which explains why, in the same opinion piece, Young complained about “the hyper-partisan mentality” his “Democratic colleagues subscribe to.” Like the breakup of a marriage, there are two sides to this story. The reason why Young is arguing from both might be that he was caught in the middle. >click to read<09:00
As I see It: More US action required on New England fishery – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva
On March 30, Carlos Rafael – the infamous “Codfather” of New Bedford, Massachusetts – pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges.,,, His fraud in mislabeling nearly 800,000 pounds of fish to evade quotas on cod, flounder and sole was so massive that scientific studies using the misreported landings may have to be scrapped, adding additional uncertainty to a fishery that has been teetering on the edge of complete collapse for decades.,,, The Fisheries Service must also start saying ‘no’ to the New England Fishery Management Council, a regional regulatory body that includes many industry representatives.,,,It’s time to end the convenient and false narratives that blame science-based fisheries regulations and ocean conservation initiatives, such as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument on the edge of the continental shelf off Cape Cod, for problems they did not create. Click here to read the op-ed 09:41
Insults and heated rhetoric fly before House Natural Resources Committee red snapper hearing
A charter boat captain from Florida has angered commercial fishermen by comparing them to “old-time” plantation owners and sharecroppers in prepared testimony to Congress. Bob Zales is scheduled to appear before the today to testify about a bill that would allow states to manage the Gulf of Mexico’s red snapper fishery. H.R. 3094 is a controversial bill on a controversial issue — one that has pitted commercial fishermen against recreational anglers and some charter boat captains. Read the rest here 12:26
House Committee approves territorial waters protection
A bill that includes an amendment by Congresswoman Aumua Amata for protection of territorial waters from federal regulations has been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee. The congresswoman’s amendment specifically prohibits the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce from restricting fishing access in any state or territorial marine waters, or the Great Lakes, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service or the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries unless the restrictions have been developed with and approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Agency of the affected state or territory. Read the rest here 13:25
Texas Rep Sponsors Bill to Stop Foreign and Illegal Fishing in US Waters by Mexican Boats
A critical vote in a House Committee on Thursday unanimously passed H.R. 774, the “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.” Its goal is to stop foreign and illegal fishing in US waters. The bill provides for increased enforcement activity by the Coast Guard, which stops, seizes, arrests and fines Mexican fishermen poaching in Texas and U.S. waters. Such activity is almost a daily event at Coast Guard bases in South Padre Island, Port Aransas and Port O-Conner. Read the rest here 16:12
Rep. John Fleming: Congress not going to gut red-snapper management for benefit of recreational anglers
Freshman Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) proposed an amendment in a House Natural Resources Committee meeting last week that would have transferred red-snapper management authority from the federal government to the states. Rep. John Fleming, Louisiana’s only other representative on the committee, abstained from voting on Graves’ amendment, which drew the ire of recreational fishing-industry leaders. In an interview with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, he explained his reasons for not voting: Read the rest here 12:12
MSA Reauthorization: Partisan bickering sinking fishing bill
To catch a fish or save a fish: That is the question being debated in Washington.(its not that simple) It summarizes a heated argument going on in Congress, mostly pitting Republicans against Democrats, as both sides try to reauthorize the nation’s primary fisheries law.,,The Democrat-controlled Senate is working on a draft bill, but what has been leaked out has been opposed by fishing groups. Read more here 13:50
Committee Approves Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act
Today the House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 4742, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act by a bipartisan vote of 24-17. This legislation would renew and amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (last reauthorized in 2006 and expired in 2013) to ensure that this fundamentally sound legislation works in the best interest of both fish and fishermen. Read more here 14:56
Oversight Hearing on: •”ESA Decisions by Closed-Door Settlement: Short-Changing Science, Transparency, Private Property, and State & Local Economies”
Watch the archived video webcast – “Undoubtedly, some believe cramming hundreds of obscure species onto the ESA list under deadlines and blocking off huge swaths of land because of the settlements are ‘successes,’ but many areas of the country tell a different account of how these policies are impacting their communities, their economies, and ultimately, the species,” Doc Hastings [email protected] 09:08
New Report Supports Pallone Position on Flexibility in Fisheries Management
Today’s hearing supported Pallone’s long-time call for revisions to the Magnuson Stevens Act that will take into account more socioeconomic concerns to ensure that the livelihood of fishermen and fishing communities are not unnecessarily hurt because of arbitrary guidelines. [email protected] 09:50
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings presses Obama administration for ocean plan docs
Chief Surgeon Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)House Natural Resources Committee and his surgical team has ordered a P.E.T. scan of the National Ocean Policy to understand the workings of the inter-agency National Ocean Council, tasked to implement the Executive Ordered policy. The policy was designed to streamline inter-agency bureaucratic activity related to all thing’s Ocean’s and Great Lakes, including interconnected rivers and tributary’s. In addition to ridicules claim that the Ocean Policy consists of voluntary, non-regulatory guidelines, there is also the issue of not having the foggiest of just how much dough this plan will cost! Read the article @thehill Read the letter to Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Under Secretary, NOAA
Bill could open Bristol Bay along with many other areas in the U.S., to offshore drilling.
A bill making progress through the legislative ladder of the U.S. Congress is garnering some nervous attention in Alaska this month. House Bill 2231 could potentially open up the previously protected waters of Bristol Bay, along with many other areas in the U.S., to offshore drilling. The legislation is called the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act, and was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee earlier this month by a majority vote of 23 to 18. continued@bristolbaytimes
House Natural Resources Committee examines red snapper fishery
WASHINGTON — A House committee on Thursday tackled the difficult challenge of balancing commercial and recreational demands on the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. Republican Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida criticized the way NOAA officials have managed red snapper, especially their proposed Days-at-Sea Program for Charter-for-Hire.Southerland raised a hypothetical scenario in which 20 charter boats are granted permits while 60 are not. continued@newspress
