Saving Seafood

Panel takes up bill to expand state control of Gulf waters

June 2, 2026 — A House Natural Resources subcommittee will take up bipartisan legislation during a hearing this week to expand the authority of certain states over the Gulf of Mexico.

The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will scrutinize Mississippi Republican Rep. Mike Ezell’s H.R. 8542, the “Offshore Parity Act,” which would expand state control of waters off Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Coastal states have jurisdiction of waters immediately past their shores, with federal control of the outer continental shelf generally beginning past 3 nautical miles.

Read the full article at E&E News

Natural Resources hearing to consider water, fisheries bills

November 18, 2025 — A House Natural Resources subcommittee will review Western water and fisheries legislation during a hearing this week, including a proposal to create a new coordinating commission for the Mississippi River Basin.

H.R. 1514, from Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) and Troy Carter (D-La.), would provide roughly $245 million for a panel to oversee fisheries management and economic development in the nation’s largest river basin.

That responsibility is currently shared by 31 states and multiple federal agencies, according to Ezell, vice chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, which will host the hearing. Carter called the bill a “critical step in securing the future of this iconic waterway.”

Read the full article at E&E News

Panel to debate overhaul of marine mammal law

July 21, 2025 — A House Natural Resources subcommittee on Tuesday will meet to discuss a slate of bills, including a controversial draft to reform the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The discussion draft, credited to Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich, would scale down the scope of the MMPA and raise the bar for the federal government to take action to protect marine mammals like whales, dolphins, seals and polar bears. Environmental advocates have warned that, as written, the bill would gut the MMPA and expose myriad species to extinction.

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), chair of the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee, earlier this year called the MMPA “well-intentioned” but nevertheless complained that “ambiguous, outdated and unclear language has proven unworkable.”

Read the full article at E&E News