September 9, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA):
On Monday, September 16, 2019 at 10:00 A.M., the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the US House Committee on Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled, “Examining the Benefits and Potential Challenges for New Jersey’s Growing Offshore Wind Industry.”
This hearing will be held at the Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood, New Jersey 08260.
May 6, 2019 — The executive director of the US Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council believes that marine monuments in US federal waters are needlessly restricting harvesters from fishing.
In recent testimony before the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, Kitty Simmonds asserted that fishing prohibitions in marine monuments amount to a “major impediment” for US fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO).
“These prohibitions have forced our fishermen out of more than half of the US [exclusive economic zone] EEZ in the WCPO and onto the high seas, where they are forced to compete with foreign fleets on the fishing grounds,” she said. “Because of limited data, the full impact of the expansion of the marine monuments in 2016 is yet to be fully understood. We do know that US fishermen have been displaced from US waters, where they have to travel farther to fishing grounds and compete with foreign fleets.”
March 12, 2019 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:
Today, Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) announced the introduction of H.R. 1664 the National Monument Creation and Protection Act (CAP Act).
“The 1906 Antiquities Act was originally intended as an executive tool to protect historical and archeological artifacts and structures under threat. Unfortunately, this worthy goal has been manipulated for ulterior political purposes. Today the Act is used as an excuse for presidents of both parties to unilaterally lock up vast tracts of public land without any mechanism for people to provide input or voice concerns. This is wrong.
“This legislation modernizes the law to restore its intent, allowing for the protection of actual antiquities without disenfranchisement of local voices. It also standardizes and limits the president’s power to reshape monuments.
“As a gesture of bipartisanship, the bill also adopts the direct suggestions made by Democrats during last year’s hearings, including new transparency requirements surrounding lobbying, local government consultation, and economic impact analysis. If my colleagues were serious about their calls for accountability under this Act – no matter which party controls the White House – they will support this bill.”
– said Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (R-Utah)
“Difficult public land issues are best resolved through the collaborative process of congressional legislation, not unilateral antiquities designations. I am proud to support the National Monument Creation and Protection Act, which would facilitate a better balance of voices, including state, local, and other leaders.”
– said Representative John Curtis (R-Utah)
Link to the bill text can be found HERE.
March 8, 2019 — The plight of the North Atlantic right whales returned to the spotlight Thursday on Capitol Hill, with a House hearing on potential dangers from planned seismic testing and the reintroduction of protective legislation by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.
Moulton’s bill — SAVE the Right Whale Act of 2019 — would provide government grants to states, nonprofit organizations and fishing and shipping stakeholders “to fund research and efforts that restore the North Atlantic right whale population.”
“We humans have nearly killed every right whale in existence through our direct and indirect actions over the past two centuries,” Moulton testified Thursday at hearing before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources. “Today we are at a crossroads. We can be the generation that saves the right whale or the generation that allows their extinction. Let’s not miss this unique moment. Let’s be the generation that brings the right whale back from the brink.”
Moulton told members of the Water, Oceans and Wildlife subcommittee that whale researchers now peg the North Atlantic right whale population at 422, with only about 100 breeding females.
The bill, co-authored by Rep. John Rutherford of Florida, also would fund government research to track the right whale’s primary source of food — plankton — and hopefully provide answers about “how human actions affect zooplankton, which in turn affects the health and migration patterns of the whales.”
February 11, 2019 — Climate change is hitting the lobster industry in two ways, Beth Casoni, the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association’s executive director, told the US House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee’s Water, Oceans and Wildlife – or WOW — panel on Thursday.
The Gulf of Maine is warming at a faster pace than 99% of other bodies of water and, by 2050, could lose 62% of its lobsters as a result, she said. Meanwhile, ocean acidification is making it harder for juvenile lobsters to grow shells, leaving them open to predators and disease.
“These threats from climate change are intensified by the other challenges lobstermen are facing,” said Casoni, one of seven witnesses at the two-hour hearing. “We do not have the luxury of looking at any one of these impacts on its own – all of them collectively are causing declines in the resource, hurting our bottom line, and our communities.
The event on Thursay was the second hearing called by the Natural Resources Committee on climate change since Democrats took control of the lower chamber in the 2018 election. The day before representative Raul Grijalva, the Arizona Democrat who now chairs the main committee, held a more general discussion.
July 20, 2018 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:
Today, House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) issued the following statement in response to the Department of the Interior (DOI) releasing three proposed rules to modernize the Endangered Species Act:
“It’s no secret that modernizing the Endangered Species Act is long overdue. DOI’s proposed rules incorporate public input, innovative science and best practices to improve efficiency and certainty for federal agencies and the public. I commend Secretary Zinke and Deputy Secretary Bernhardt for their excellent leadership on this issue and look forward to working with my colleagues to enshrine these actions into law.”
Background:
DOI’s proposed rules focus on Sections four and seven of the Endangered Species Act, and would address improved consultation processes, changes to critical habitat designations, and issues within the criteria for listing and delisting species. They also incorporate public input and best practices to improve reliability, regulatory efficiency, and environmental stewardship.
June 27, 2018 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act, with a bipartisan vote of 288 Members, including 68 Democrats. Introduced by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), this bipartisan bill provides states and tribes the necessary tools to humanely manage sea lions that have migrated outside their historic range and pose an imminent threat to fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“The habitual Washington D.C. knee-jerk defense of the status quo is harming endangered species instead of protecting them. The fact of the matter is that the existing regulations are leading to the decline in endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest, a key source of ecological vibrancy in the region. This bipartisan bill corrects the problem by giving states and tribes the tools to humanely manage sea lions and prevent further destruction of endangered fish and the region’s economy. I appreciate Rep. Beutler’s hard work on this legislation. It is surprising that certain Democrats, including the Ranking Member of the Committee, voted against saving endangered species and empowering tribes to exercise their treaty rights,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) stated.
“With today’s passage of my bipartisan bill to improve the survival of endangered salmon and steelhead, we’re taking a giant step forward in restoring an ecosystem sorely out of balance. The sea lion predation problem on the Columbia River will not go away without intervention from local and tribal managers and I’m pleased that working with House Natural Resources committee, we’re now able to give these officials the tools they need to remove the most problematic sea lions and protect our native fish runs,” Rep. Beutler said.
“Salmon are an important part of the culture, identity, and the economy of the people and tribes of the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the reasons why we’ve, as a region, put so much time, energy, and resources into protecting and recovering these iconic fish. Our bill will provide the states and tribal members the flexibility they need to protect these endangered fish and manage the threat posed by sea lion predation. I’m very pleased to have the support of so many of my colleagues in the House in tackling this issue in a bipartisan, thoughtful way. I want to thank Rep. Herrera Beutler and our states, tribes, and local communities for all of the hard work everyone has put in over several years now on this legislation and on working towards solutions to save our salmon,” Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) stated.
Stakeholder support for the legislative proposal includes:
“After witnessing the alarming increase in sea lion predation on salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and lamprey in the Columbia and Willamette rivers in recent years, we believe that it is incumbent upon Congress to provide the Northwest’s state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies more effective options for protecting our fish and fisheries from these aggressive predators. Failure to do so risks the extinction of some of our most precious and important fish species, including at-risk populations of spring Chinook salmon. Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce this legislation and raise the visibility of this increasingly serious issue.” – Henry Lorenzen, chair of the Northwest Power and Conservation Center
“On behalf of the hundreds of hard working commercial fishermen we represent, we write to request your SUPPORT for H.R. 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act. This bill would allow state and tribal wildlife managers to apply for a permit to humanely euthanize individual marine mammals in the Columbia River that are known to prey on endangered salmon as they line up at fish ladders attempting to return to their natal streams to spawn. This bill provides an immediate, surgical solution to a significant problem in a highly impacted western river, the Columbia.” – Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations
“None of us can ever forget what happened at Ballard Locks in Seattle, starting in the mid- 1980s. Sea lions ate so many winter run steelhead heading through the locks to Lake Washington that the run of fish is no longer viable. At the time, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife was practicing all manner of nonlethal management actions of the sea lions–to no effect… We must protect our iconic salmon and steelhead and we would be deeply grateful for your acknowledgement that the issue of pinniped predation in the Columbia river must be addressed legislatively. We cannot thank you enough for your support on this issue.” – Northwest Sport Fishing Industry Association on behalf of over 100 recreational fishing groups including the American Sport Fishing Association
“As directors of the co-managing agencies charged with conserving fish and wildlife in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, we are writing to express our support for HR 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act… Passage of this legislation is critical to ensuring we can manage the ever-increasing issue of predation on sturgeon, lamprey, and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.” – joint letter from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Idaho State Department of Fish and Game, and Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
“This situation continues to expand supporters of this legislation among diverse interests in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Our joint support represents that healthy salmon and steelhead runs are critical to the future of the Columbia River treaty tribes and utilities. This bill would give fisheries managers greater tools to appropriately reduce predation of these endangered fish.” – joint letter from Scott Corwin, executive director of the Public Power Council and Jaime Pinkham, executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.
June 26, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:
We’re seeing another busy week unfold for us at Nat. Resources this week, as the Rules Committee officially announced that a vote for H.R. 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act, is set for tomorrow. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), the bipartisan bill provides states and tribes the necessary tools to humanely manage sea lions that have migrated outside their historic range and pose an imminent threat to fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
But Sea Lions Seem So Cute…
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Sea lions pose a significant threat to ESA-listed salmon and steelhead, and while the world took notice of last year’s viral sea lion attack, tribal, subsistence and commercial fisheries have long felt the effects of the hearty appetite of non-native sea lions across the Columbia River watershed. Endangered salmon have become the victims of conflicting federal laws that make it illegal to responsibly manage the obvious predator: sea lions.
Broad Member & Stakeholder Bipartisan Support
The bill enjoys a strong bipartisan backing, with U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) as an original cosponsor, and a significant list of local and regional groups voicing support, including the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, the Columbia Intertribal Fish Commission, the Coastal Conservation Associations of Washington and Oregon, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and more than 100 local and recreational fishing businesses.
Learn more about the House Committee on Natural Resources here.
June 22, 2018 — A bill that would update the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) — changing the US rules around annual catch limits (ACLs) and stock-rebuilding programs — is set to take a major step toward final passage next week.
The US House of Representatives’ Rules Committee has scheduled a discussion about procedures, meaning the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act (HR 200) is headed for a vote by the full lower chamber. The vote could happen as soon as Tuesday, though a date has not yet been picked, a House staffer told Undercurrent News.
The bill, introduced by Alaska representative Don Young, a Republican, was passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources by a 23-17 vote in December and now has 11 cosponsors, including two Democrats, Texas representatives Gene Green and Marc Veasey.
Natural Resources Committee chairman Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican, had described the measure as one of his top two priorities.
“America’s fisheries are governed by an outdated regulatory scheme and inflexible decrees imposed by distant bureaucrats,” Bishop said after the December vote. “Fishermen and biologists on the ground should be partners in the formation of management plans, not powerless onlookers. This bill provides flexibility so we can better meet local needs, expand economic activity and conserve ecosystems.”
June 20, 2018 — U.S. Republican lawmakers on Wednesday stepped up their scrutiny of environmental groups’ work with foreign countries, requesting that the Center for Biological Diversity turn in a list of documents detailing their work with Japanese officials.
It was the third action that Representatives Rob Bishop and Bruce Westerman have taken this month to put a spotlight on foreign governments’ relationship with green groups, who they allege can be used to influence U.S. policy or national security.
Bishop heads the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee and Westerman chairs the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
“The Committee on Natural Resources is continuing its oversight of the potential manipulation of tax-exempt 501(c) organizations by foreign entities to influence U.S. environmental and natural resources policy to the detriment of our national interests,” they said in a letter to the Center for Biological Diversity.
Earlier this month they wrote to the head of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Rhea Suh, asking for details about the group’s work with China on climate change and air quality issues.
Last week, the lawmakers sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis asking him to provide information about environmental litigation against the military by U.S.-based green groups and its negative impact on national security.