Saving Seafood

Westerman-Golden Bipartisan SPEED Act draws backing from industry groups

October 28, 2025 — A bipartisan proposal to revise federal environmental review procedures is drawing support from technology companies, trade associations, local officials, and utilities, according to statements released by the House Natural Resources Committee.

H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, was introduced by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine). The measure targets the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a procedural statute that set the framework for assessing environmental impacts of major federal actions and created the Council on Environmental Quality. NEPA’s requirements apply broadly to federally linked activities, including construction of roads, bridges, highways, ports, irrigation systems, forest management projects, transmission lines, energy developments, broadband, and water infrastructure.

NEPA was enacted to ensure that federal agencies consider environmental consequences before taking major actions. Over time, the process has become increasingly complex, extending permitting timelines and increasing costs for public and private projects. Critics of the current system argue that it has evolved into a cumbersome process that special interest groups sometimes use to delay or block infrastructure projects through litigation. The SPEED Act seeks to address those concerns by streamlining review procedures and reducing the frequency of lawsuits while maintaining the requirement that environmental impacts be considered.

Supporters from sectors such as advanced computing and data centers point to power and transmission needs; energy producers and public power entities cite grid reliability and long planning horizons; construction and electrical contractors emphasize predictable schedules; and forestry and logging groups link delays to slower forest management and wildfire risk. Commercial space and conservation-policy organizations also register support, citing modernization and clearer processes.

Commercial fisheries are among the sectors affected by NEPA’s procedural requirements. Fishery management actions under the Magnuson–Stevens Act—such as plan amendments, quota specifications, and implementing regulations—are treated as major federal actions and typically require environmental assessments or impact statements. Standardizing timelines and simplifying documentation could reduce uncertainty in the council and agency decision process without altering the substantive conservation standards that govern federal fisheries.

Litigation is another recurring factor in fishery management. NEPA claims are often filed alongside Magnuson–Stevens Act claims when stakeholders challenge plan amendments or annual specifications. Even when agencies prevail, litigation risk can slow implementation and absorb staff resources. The SPEED Act’s provisions to clarify what constitutes a “major federal action,” set limits on judicial review periods, and streamline documentation are presented by supporters as measures that could help agencies move science-based fishery decisions to implementation more predictably.

 The SPEED Act would update NEPA by: 

– Shortening review timelines and reducing litigation frequency.

– Simplifying analyses required in NEPA documents to lessen agency workload.

– Clarifying when NEPA applies by refining the definition of “major federal action.”

– Setting judicial review limits for NEPA claims, including a 150-day filing deadline, a new standard of review, and constraints on procedural maneuvers that can halt projects.

Organizations listed as supporters include Google; OpenAI; the AI Supply Chain Alliance; the American Forest Resource Council; Associated General Contractors of America; Associated Oregon Loggers; the Commercial Space Federation; ConservAmerica; the Huerfano County (Colo.) Board of County Commissioners; the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association; Minnesota Forest Industries; Missouri River Energy Services (which also backs a related bill, H.R. 4503); the National Electrical Contractors Association and several of its regional chapters; and the Utah Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Press release: https://naturalresources.house.gov/news/email/show.aspx?ID=BB6YBW3BL6RVCAERSA4FZWNLFQ

NEFMC tables ropeless gear proposal following pushback

October 2, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council has tabled an alternative gear marking proposal that could enable more Maine lobster fishers to use ropeless gear in closed areas following public opposition from commercial fishing groups and a Maine legislator.

“A packed house of fishermen – with NEFSA members making up the strong majority – made their concerns loud and clear both in person and through the flood of public comments leading up to the vote. This is another major win for American commercial fisheries,” New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) said in a social media post.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Management council votes to postpone rope-less lobster gear rule in Maine

October 2, 2025 — At its meeting on September 25 in Gloucester, Mass., the New England Fishery Management Council voted to postpone its decision allowing lobstermen fishing in federal waters to use alternative, rope-less gear.

The decision was welcome news to the lobster industry and to congressman Jared Golden, who urged NEFMC to abandon the proposal in a letter dated September 23.

“Maine’s lobstermen are facing tremendous uncertainty, with various agencies operating in parallel considering new regulations that would fundamentally alter what it looks like to haul traps off the coast of Maine,” Golden said. “Congress enacted a moratorium on requiring this kind of gear, and that moratorium is still in effect while more data is gathered and studied. This framework, if adopted, would muddy the waters about what is required of Maine’s harvesters, and there’s no need for it.”

The moratorium Golden referred to was adopted in the U.S. congressional budget for 2023 with the unanimous support of Maine’s senators and representatives. The moratorium at the federal level paused the development of new lobster gear requirements until 2028.

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Press

NOAA council reels in proposal to encourage ‘ropeless’ fishing gear

September 29, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council tabled a proposal last week to encourage the use of “on-demand” and “ropeless” fishing gear in the Atlantic Ocean to protect right whales after industry groups and a Maine lawmaker argued the plan would unduly burden lobster fishermen.

At a Thursday council meeting in Gloucester, Massachusetts, fishermen and industry representatives decried the framework proposal, saying the new fishing gear remains unproven and would further disrupt an industry already facing heavy regulation in a difficult economy.

Earlier in the week, Rep. Jared Golden, a Maine Democrat, had also written a letter to NEFMC Executive Director Cate O’Keefe charging that the framework intended to protect endangered right whales from fishing gear entanglements was “premature and unnecessary.” Golden said it runs counter to a congressional mandate that the federal government should suspend any regulations targeting fishing gear until 2028.

Read the full article at E&E News

US representative Jared Golden urges New England regulators to abandon proposal that could expand ropeless gear use

September 25, 2025 — U.S. Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) is urging regulators not to take any action that would enable the use of more ropeless gear in the Maine lobster fishery, arguing that it would undermine other regulatory efforts.

In a letter to the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC), Golden asked regulators to abandon the Joint Alternative Gear-Marking Framework, a proposal that could eventually allow fishers to use ropeless, or on-demand, gear within its jurisdiction.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Golden proposed extension for whale rule implementation, local stakeholders reflect

August 21, 2025 — The current federal moratorium on whale rule regulations could be extended from 2028 to 2035, and local stakeholders are sharing their thoughts with the Islander on what the proposed extension could mean for the lobster industry and the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Last month, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) urged the House Natural Resources Committee to extend a moratorium on regulations aimed at the lobster industry and designed to help protect the North Atlantic right whale from gear entanglements.

Golden said that the initial moratorium listed in the Maine Mammal Protection Act, which lasts from 2023 to 2028, is not enough time for the Maine government to gather data that would inform new regulations.

Several conservationists and scientists, on the other hand, think that there is already enough data to support implementing the original regulations.

“The premise behind the original regulations has since been struck down by the courts. In 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service had distorted the science and relied on egregiously wrong interpretations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in crafting its proposed rules,” Golden told the Committee on July 22. “The Court admonished the agency for basing its edicts on arbitrary, worst-case scenarios that were ‘very likely wrong.’”

He argued that an extended moratorium would provide adequate time for the state of Maine to collect data to inform new regulations.

Read the full article at Mount Dessert Islander

Why Maine lobstermen need an extended pause on new right whale rules

August 1, 2025 — Jared Golden of Lewiston represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This piece was originally published on July 31 in “Dear Mainer,” Golden’s Substack. It is reposted here in its entirety, with permission.

I had a few goals when I successfully pushed to get a seat on the House Natural Resources Committee, but chief among them was using the position to advocate for the men and women who work on Maine’s waters.

It was only three years ago that Maine’s lobster industry was on the verge of shutting down because of a regulatory process that was based on flawed interpretation of federal law and biased modeling that relied heavily on hypothetical threats that fisheries posed to the North Atlantic right whale.

That is why one of my proudest accomplishments in Congress was the successful effort in 2022 — working with the entire Maine delegation and our governor on a bipartisan basis — to enact a moratorium on these regulations until 2028, coupled with additional funding to support right whale research.

However, based on developments in the last few years and my conversations with fishermen, I believe more time is needed to incorporate the research and data collected during the pause into future right whale regulations.

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News

Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035

July 28, 2025 — A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years.

The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear.

The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035.

Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine’s lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

MAINE: Golden, lobstermen call on Congress to extend right whale regulatory moratorium until 2035

July 24, 2025 — A coalition of Maine lobster fishing groups, along with Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, are calling on Congress to extend a right whale regulatory moratorium for another ten years.

The moratorium, championed by Maine’s entire congressional delegation and slipped into a last-minute budget bill during the final days of 2022, prohibited the federal government from implementing new restrictions on the lobster fishery that are intended to protect North Atlantic right whales.

The regulatory pause is set to lift at the end of 2028. But Golden, who represents Maine’s second congressional district, said Tuesday he believes the moratorium should be extended until 2035.

Last summer, the state of Maine started conducting its own research to study the presence of right whales in the Gulf of Maine. State officials have said they want their data, which takes some time to put together, to inform the federal government’s new regulations.

Read the full article at Maine Public

MAINE: Golden pushes for extension of moratorium on right whale, lobster regulations until 2035

July 23, 2025 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Jared Golden:

Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) is urging the House Natural Resources Committee (HNRC) to protect Maine’s lobstermen from new regulations related to the protection of the North Atlantic right whale until 2035.

Golden worked with the Maine delegation and Governor Janet Mills to enact a moratorium on such regulations starting in 2023, but it is scheduled to expire in 2028. The HNRC Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries met today to discuss a draft amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which would extend the moratorium for seven more years.

“It was only three years ago that Maine’s lobster industry was on the verge of shutting down because of a regulatory process that was based on flawed interpretation of the MMPA and biased modeling that relied heavily on hypothetical threats that fisheries posed to the right whale,” Golden said. “[This amendment] would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations based on real science, reliable data and input from Mainers. And it would give lobstermen the time they need to prepare for whatever additional costs and changes to their harvesting practices may be required by new regulations.”

Golden also introduced into the record a letter in support of the amendment from Maine stakeholders, including the Maine Lobstering Union, Maine Lobster Association, New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association and Downeast Lobstermen’s Association. (See here)

The Congressman’s full remarks, as drafted, are included below: 

“Thank you, Madam Chair. 

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act has a tremendous impact on the lives and livelihoods of the thousands of Maine lobstermen and fishermen I have the privilege to represent. So, I am grateful to you and the Ranking Member for having this hearing to discuss potential changes to the law. 

“I have serious concerns with the MMPA and I believe that changes need to be made to the law to ensure that it cannot be used to shut down entire fisheries and the communities they support. Simply put, the federal government should not be in the business of destroying the lives of hardworking Americans and thousands of small family-owned businesses based on assumptions that are not grounded in sound data.

“This is particularly true when it comes to regulations seeking to protect the North Atlantic right whale. It was only three years ago that Maine’s lobster industry was on the verge of shutting down because of a regulatory process that was based on flawed interpretation of the MMPA and biased modeling that relied heavily on hypothetical threats that fisheries posed to the right whale.

“That is why one of my proudest accomplishments in Congress was the successful effort in 2022 — working with the entire Maine delegation and our governor, on a bipartisan basis — to enact a moratorium on these regulations until 2028, coupled with additional funding to support right whale research. 

“However, based on my conversations with fishermen, more time is needed to incorporate the research and data collected during the pause into future right whale regulations. I am grateful to Congressman Begich of Alaska for working with me on this Discussion Draft and for including a much-needed extension of the regulatory pause until 2035 to ensure that any future actions taken to protect right whales are informed by a greater volume of data.

“I know that some of my colleagues, in the interest of protecting the right whale, have concerns with this Discussion Draft. So, let me share with you some facts: 

“First, and perhaps most importantly: It remains the case that Maine lobstermen do not pose an existential threat to the North Atlantic right whale. In the decades since we began tracking the cause of marine mammal serious injury and mortality, there has been only one instance where Maine lobster gear has been attributed to a right whale death — though even that linkage is tenuous at best. Maine lobstermen have a proven track record of leading the way when it comes to ocean resource conservation and mitigating the risk of whale entanglements, including the adoption of weak links and gear marking. 

“Second: The premise behind the original regulations has since been struck down by the courts. In 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service had distorted the science and relied on egregiously wrong interpretations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in crafting its proposed rules. The Court admonished the agency for basing its edicts on arbitrary, worst-case scenarios that were ‘very likely wrong.’ 

“Third: Fishermen need more time. In part because the court order forced regulators to go back to the drawing board, the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team won’t hold its first meeting on new regulations until 2026. If the moratorium expires in 2028, lobstermen will have insufficient time to plan for new regulations and may well find themselves unable to comply and forced to stop fishing entirely. 

“Maine’s lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that’s just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state’s economy, heritage and appeal to visitors. As the largest source of lobster in the country, this fishery is an integral part of domestic and international supply chains.

“Maine’s fishermen are responsible stewards of our marine resources. No one is more invested than they are in ensuring a healthy ocean ecosystem. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. It would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations based on real science, reliable data and input from Mainers. And it would give lobstermen the time they need to prepare for whatever additional costs and changes to their harvesting practices may be required by new regulations. 

“To close Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to submit into the record a letter from fishermen on both coasts in support of the MMPA Discussion Draft. Signatories on the letter include my constituents in the Maine Lobstering Union, Maine Lobster Association, New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association and Downeast Lobstermen’s Association. 

“Thank you and I yield back.”