News Washington Massachusetts Lawmakers ask Commerce to stop forcing fishermen to pay penalties while their cases are under review |
Massachusetts Lawmakers ask Commerce to stop forcing fishermen to pay penalties while their cases are under review |
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WASHINGTON - Dec. 16, 2010 - Massachusetts Senators Kerry and Brown, and Congressmen Frank, Tierney, and Delahunt have written to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke noting that It has come to their attention that several of the respondents in problematic fisheries cases now under review have requested and been denied stays of penalties while the Special Master conducts the review. They ask the Secretary to reverse current policy, and stay the penalties until the Special Master has completed his review and presented his recommendations.
The Members thanked the Secretary for the appointment of the Honorable Charles B. Swartwood III as Special Master to review the enforcement cases the Inspector General identified as problematic. In a report released two months ago, the Inspector General's report found troubling discrepancies in enforcement, fines and penalties by the office of Law Enforcement and the Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation. Read the lawmakers' letter to Secretary Locke.
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MELISSA WOOD, NATIONAL FISHERMEN: Meting out the meager
May 22, 2012 - Listening to the New England Council's Groundfish Advisory Panel talk about how that industry is going to pay for monitoring costs is kind of like trying to figure out how to pay your bills when you've just lost your job. Though monitoring is important keeping costs down is critical. As Panel Member Gary Libby pointed out, "If we had 100 percent monitoring we probably wouldn't have an industry."
