Saving Seafood

House Natural Resources Committee Passes Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization

December 13, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 200, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” Introduced by Chairman Emeritus Don Young (R-AK), the bill reauthorizes and modernizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act by implementing regional flexibility, tailored management practices and improved data collection for America’s federal fisheries.

“It has been 11 years since the Magnuson-Stevens Act was reauthorized and when we first passed this law, we saw tremendous success for the fisheries nationwide. Alaska is considered the gold standard of fisheries management and this industry is crucial to our local economy. I am proud to see my bill pass out of Committee today. This legislation will improve the management process by allowing regional fisheries to develop plans that match the needs of their area. Ultimately, this bill updates the Magnuson-Stevens Act to ensure a proper balance between the biological needs of fish stocks and the economic needs of fishermen and coastal communities,” Rep. Young stated. 

“America’s fisheries are governed by an outdated regulatory scheme and inflexible decrees imposed by distant bureaucrats. Fishermen and biologists on the ground should be partners in the formation of management plans, not powerless onlookers,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) said. “This bill provides flexibility so we can better meet local needs, expand economic activity and conserve ecosystems. Rep. Young has delivered a win for local management and I look forward to moving this bill through the chambers in the coming year.” 

Click here to learn more about the bill.

The following was released by the Democrats of the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted the broad-based economic and environmental opposition to H.R. 200, today’s highly partisan rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs fisheries and fishing quotas across U.S. waters. The GOP bill is opposed by the Seafood Harvesters of America and a wide swathe of restaurants and individual commercial fisherman and by dozens of environmental groups, including the Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, the League of Conservation Voters, the National Audubon Society, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Ocean Conservancy and the Wilderness Society.

Opponents of the Republican bill have written a barrage of letters to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and other Republican leaders, including Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), who chairs the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, urging them to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act and abandon today’s bill, which was written by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) on highly partisan lines. The letters are available at http://bit.ly/2nYuEin.

“Republicans’ plan is to deregulate our oceans and fish everywhere until there’s nothing left, and we’re not going to let that happen,” Grijalva said today. “Ocean management is about sustainable use and enjoyment, not just making environmentalists unhappy. Like most of the bills advanced by the leadership of this Committee, this bill is extreme and has no future in the Senate. Until my counterparts decide to take the issues in our jurisdiction more seriously, we’re going to keep wasting time on unpopular bills that have no chance of becoming law.”

Grijalva also underscored the deep opposition to H.R. 3588, Rep. Garret Graves’ (R-La.) bill deregulating red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Many letter-writers who oppose H.R. 200 also oppose Graves’ effort, which an alliance of chefs and restaurateurs noted in a Nov. 7 letter “could inadvertently result in significant overfishing and deprive our customers of one of their favorite fish.”

 

House Natural Resources Committee Announces Markup on 16 Bills

December 8, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

On Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 5:00 PM in 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Full Committee will hold a markup on the following bills:

  • H.R. 200 (Rep. Don Young), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, and for other purposes.  “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act”
  • H.R. 1157 (Rep. William R. Keating), To clarify the United States interest in certain submerged lands in the area of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes
  • H.R. 1349 (Rep. Tom McClintock), To amend the Wilderness Act to ensure that the use of bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers, and game carts is not prohibited in Wilderness Areas, and for other purposes
  • H.R. 1350 (Rep. Richard M. Nolan), To modify the boundary of Voyageurs National Park in the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes;
  • H.R. 1675 (Rep. Suzan K. DelBene), To establish a national program to identify and reduce losses from landslides hazards, to establish a national 3D Elevation Program, and for other purpose.  “National Landslide Preparedness Act”
  • H.R. 2888 (Rep. Jason Smith), To establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Site in the State of Missouri, and for other purposes.  “Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Establishment Act”
  • H.R. 3400 (Rep. Rob Bishop), To promote innovative approaches to outdoor recreation on Federal land and to open up opportunities for collaboration with non-Federal partners, and for other purposes.  “Recreation Not Red-Tape Act”
  • H.R. 3588 (Rep. Garret Graves), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes.  “RED SNAPPER Act”
  • H.R. 4033 (Rep. Doug Lamborn), To reauthorize the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992.  “National Geologic Mapping Act Reauthorization Act”;
  • H.R. 4264 (Rep. Rob Bishop), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land in Cache County, Utah, to the City of Hyde Park for public purposes.  “Hyde Park Land Conveyance Act”
  • H.R. 4266 (Rep. Bruce Poliquin), To clarify the boundary of Acadia National Park, and for other purposes.  “Acadia National Park Boundary Clarification Act”
  • H.R. 4465 (Rep. John R. Curtis), To maintain annual base funding for the Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery programs through fiscal year 2023, to require a report on the implementation of those programs, and for other purposes.  “Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017”
  • H.R. 4475 (Rep. Don Young), To provide for the establishment of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.  “National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act”
  • H.R. 4568 (Rep. Raul R. Labrador), To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote timely exploration for geothermal resources under geothermal leases, and for other purposes.  “Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act”
  • S. 825 (Sen. Lisa Murkowski), To provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium located in Sitka, Alaska, and for other purposes.  “Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2017”
  • S. 1285 (Sen. Jeff Merkley), To allow the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Klamath Tribes, and the Burns Paiute Tribes to lease or transfer certain lands.  “Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act”
WHAT: Full Committee Markup on 16 bills
WHEN: Tuesday, December 12
5:00 PM
WHERE: 1324 Longworth House Office Building

On Tuesday December 12, 2017, the Committee will convene at 5:00 P.M. in 1324 Longworth House Office Building for opening statements only. The Committee will reconvene on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. in the 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Visit the Committee Calendar for additional information once it is made available. The meeting is open to the public and a video feed will stream live at House Committee on Natural Resources.

Zinke backs shrinking more national monuments and shifting management of 10

December 7, 2017 — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday called on President Trump to shrink a total of four national monuments and change the way six other land and marine sites are managed, a sweeping overhaul of how protected areas are maintained in the United States.

Zinke’s final report comes a day after Trump signed proclamations in Utah that downsized two massive national monuments there — Bears Ears by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly 46 percent. The president had directed Zinke in April to review 27 national monuments established since 1996 under the Antiquities Act, which gives the president broad authority to safeguard federal lands and waters under threat.

In addition to the Utah sites, Zinke supports cutting Nevada’s Gold Butte and Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou, though the exact reductions are still being determined. He also would revise the proclamations for those and the others to clarify that certain activities are allowed.

The additional monuments affected include Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean; both Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean; New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande Del Norte, and Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters.

Read the full story at the Washington Post

 

Wall Street Journal: The Right Move on Monuments

December 5, 2017 — President Trump announced Monday that he will dramatically reduce the acreage of two national monuments. The order ends excessive federal control of Utah land, allowing residents to protect their own territory and conserve their cultural relics.

Congress passed the Antiquities Act in 1906 to give Presidents emergency authority to prevent the looting and destruction of national treasures. The law said designated monuments should be limited to “the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects,” but Bill Clinton and Barack Obama misapplied this power to carry out a Washington land grab.

Without public comment, the federal government unilaterally seized control of more than 3.2 million acres of southeastern Utah that together constitute the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments. Residents and their elected representatives had minimal influence on the draconian land-use restrictions imposed by Washington bureaucrats. In September, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke described how the Antiquities Act had been abused “to prevent public access and to prevent public use” of land, harming everyone from cattlemen to cross-country skiers.

Read the full editorial at the Wall Street Journal

President Trump’s Monument Rightsizing: Myth vs. Fact

December 4, 2017 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop:

Panic is gripping the Left. The President of the United States apparently has the audacity to enforce the Antiquities Act as it is written: he dares to confine monuments “to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”

President Trump has rightsized Bears Ears (BENM) and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, and now special interest groups will again attempt to lie, distort and, misrepresent their way to another ill-gotten political victory at the expense of local communities.

Here’s what they’ll say, and here’s why they’re wrong.

MYTH:  The President’s actions are illegal.

  • FACT: False. Propagators of this particular myth put themselves in the absurd position of claiming that one unilateral presidential action can bind every successor in perpetuity. If this seems more reminiscent of an autocracy than a constitutional democracy responsive to the demands of the people, that’s because it is. Not only canpresidents scale back monuments, they have done so on at least 18 other occasions. Two examples: President Taft reduced his own monument by 89% and Woodrow Wilson shrank Teddy Roosevelt’s by 50%.

MYTH: The President’s actions are unpopular.

  • FACT: Mischaracterization. Unpopular with whom? While many people, separated from the consequences, may support the monuments, the affected communities have been staunchly opposed to excessively large designations. For example in BENM, the San Juan County Commission, the state legislature, the local chapter of the Navajo Nation, the Governor, and every member of the state’s congressional delegation fought the original designation tooth and nail.

MYTH: The President’s actions represent another broken promise to tribes.

  • FACT: Wrong. It’s important to note that tribal support for the monument was not unanimous. Regardless, the original BENM proclamation did not bestow legal co-management, nor did it ever have the authority to do so. The council created by Obama’s designation had only an advisory role and no official decision-making power. Congress will act to provide legally enforceable tribal co-management.

MYTH: The President’s actions are an attack on our country’s treasured national parks.

  • FACT: Not true. Attempts to blur the distinctions between national monuments and national parks are fear-mongering lies. No national parks were under review and no national parks were reduced. National monuments and parks are unrelated classifications.

MYTH: The President’s actions will hurt local economies.

  • FACT: Incorrect. Most monuments, which are created without congressional consultation, lack the infrastructure to support public access and a robust tourism economy, while simultaneously stifling traditional economic uses. The Grand Staircase national monument designation, for example, resulted in a $9M loss to the local economy, according to a study conducted by Utah State University.

MYTH: The President’s actions are a boondoggle for the oil and gas industry.

  • FACT: Wrong. The land in question remains in federal ownership and subject to the same rigorous environmental reviews all such land undergoes. In any case, there really aren’t economically recoverable oil and gas resources in BENM. Framing this debate as energy vs. protection may be a useful cudgel for litigation activists, but that doesn’t make it accurate.

MYTH: The President’s actions will harm conservation in the area.

  • FACT: Way off. The Antiquities Act was never meant to be a landscape conservation tool. It was designed to protect antiquities. President Trump’s proclamation maintains protections for bona fide antiquities while respecting traditional land uses. These communities, more attached to the land than anyone, have been maintaining the land for generations.

MYTH: The President’s actions will leave antiquities and resources without any protections.

FACT: Nope. Everyone is concerned about looting and desecration of antiquities or sensitive areas. Here’s a novel idea: rather than focusing exclusively on these particular lands, what if we protected all antiquities on federal lands? Great idea, right? In fact, Congress has already done just that. In 1979 Congress passed the Archaeological Resources Protection of Act (ARPA). ARPA gave the federal government the power to impose severe fines and even imprisonment for looting. It protects ALL federal lands, with or without monument designation.

Learn more about the House Committee on Natural Resources by visiting their site here.

 

Bishop Statement on President Trump Protecting Antiquities in Utah, Addressing Past Executive Abuse

December 4, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources: 

House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:

“I applaud President Trump for recognizing the limitations of the law. Americans of all political stripes should commend him for reversing prior administrations’ abuses of the Antiquities Act and instead exercising his powers within the scope of authority granted by Congress.

“These new proclamations are a first step towards protecting identified antiquities without disenfranchising the local people who work and manage these areas. The next steps will be to move beyond symbolic gestures of protection and create substantive protections and enforcement and codify in law a meaningful management role for local governments, tribes and other stakeholders.”

REMINDER:

 Tomorrow, at 11:00 AM EST, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT), Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) will host a Pen & Pad to discuss President Trump’s visit to Utah and the introduction of related legislation. For reporters outside of Washington, D.C. there will be a call in number. In order to join in person or via phone, you must RSVP.

WHAT: Pen & Pad with Chairman Bishop, Reps. Stewart and Curtis
WHEN: Tuesday, December 5
11:00 AM EST
WHERE:

 

CALL:

 TBD

 

Number: 1-888-998-7893

Passcode: PROTECTION

 

To RSVP, please contact Katie Schoettler at katie.schoettler@mail.house.gov.

 

NEPA: An Environmental Law Subverted

November 29, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Today, the Full Committee held an oversight hearing to discuss improving and modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The panel discussed deficiencies in NEPA’s implementation and potential legislative improvements to enable the law to best serve its intended purpose.

“In 1969, NEPA was originally designed as a tool to assess the impacts of government actions on the environment. Unfortunately, today it has become a sweeping regulatory framework that does the exact opposite,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) stated.

 “We can both better protect the environment and allow for thorough review and processing of critical economic, energy and infrastructure activities in a timely manner. These concepts are not mutually exclusive.  But it simply won’t happen unless Congress acts to clarify NEPA’s intent, scope and limitations,” Bishop added. 

 Witness Philip Howard, Chairman of Common Good, noted that prolonged environmental reviews on a range of NEPA projects negatively impact the environment, a contradiction of NEPA’s original intent. He cited NEPA-related permitting delays in rebuilding the nation’s highway infrastructure resulting in an extra 51 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

“These delays are costly and, often, environmentally destructive,” Howard said.

Howard lauded NEPA’s original environmental objectives. The goals, however, “have been subverted by a process that takes years and ends up interfering with important projects instead of promoting better projects.”

Witness James Willox, Wyoming County Commissioners Association Member, reiterated the disconnect between NEPA’s intent and the statute’s implementation.

“What was once a helpful look at proposed actions has metastasized into a grotesque perversion of Congressional intent whereby agency officials are forced into years of analysis and reams of paper designed to fend off litigation instead of making sound, informed policy decisions,” Willox said.

“NEPA itself was never intended to be an obstructionist part of our infrastructure nor building of any other thing. But it has been used as that,” Rep. Don Young (R-AK) stated. “NEPA should not be used to slow down and impede development because it does not protect the environment. And that’s really what we should be talking about.”

 Witness Mike Bridges, Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Board Member, echoed the same concerns, emphasizing the law’s negative economic impacts.

“The seemingly endless and arbitrary regulatory process in Washington State will discourage future projects that would employ members of the Building Trades and my community,” Bridges said.

Members and the panel discussed changes to the law including increasing the role of counties and local governments, fast-tracking the permitting of projects, and avoiding duplicative environmental analyses.

“Counties in Wyoming and across the West are ready and willing to assist in the goal of modernizing NEPA to ensure that it continues to work for the benefit of decision-makers,”Willox said.

Click here to view full witness testimony.

Learn more about the House Committee on Natural Resources by visiting their site here.

 

In Congress, an effort to curtail national monuments

October 18, 2017 — WASHINGTON — On Oct. 11, the House Natural Resources Committee approved a proposal from its chairman, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, to overhaul the Antiquities Act. Bishop’s “National Monument Creation and Protection Act” would severely constrain the power of the president to designate national monuments. It would limit the size of monuments a president could designate as well as the kinds of places protected.

The 1906 Antiquities Act allows a president to act swiftly to protect federal lands facing imminent threats without legislation getting bogged down in Congress. Many popular areas, including Zion, Bryce and Arches national parks in Bishop’s home state, were first protected this way.

Under Bishop’s legislation, any proposal for a monument larger than 640 acres — one square mile — would be subject to a review process: Areas up to 10,000 acres would be subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act, while those between 10,000 and 85,000 acres would require approval from state and local government. The bill would allow emergency declarations, but they would expire after a year without Congress approval. It would also codify the president’s power to modify monuments — a power that has been contested in light of the Interior Department’s recent recommendations that President Donald Trump reduce the size of several monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah.

Read the full story at High Country News

Fight over national monuments intensifies

October 16, 2017 — WASHINGTON — Conservatives have opened a new front in the fight over the future of America’s national monuments.

House Republicans are moving forward with a bill to reform a century-old conservation law, raising the stakes in their ongoing effort to curtail the president’s’ ability to set aside wide swaths of federal land as national monuments and protect them from future development.

The new legislation, from Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), comes as the White House mulls reductions to several previously declared monuments. That’s an effort environmentalists consider an affront to the Antiquities Act, a law signed by conservation champion Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

Conservatives, industry groups and Westerners have long pushed for changes to the Antiquities Act, saying presidents of both parties have abused the law, handcuffing local communities who could look to create jobs on public land. President Trump is an ally in that effort.

Environmentalists and most Democrats consider the Antiquities Act a bedrock American conservation law and have vowed to fight any effort to water it down.

The reform effort has its impetus in what conservatives consider an abuse of federal monument designation powers.

Sixteen presidents have used the Antiquities Act to lock up federal land over the last century. But President Obama used it the most often, and protected by far the most acreage — 553.6 million acres of land and sea monuments — inspiring a fresh round of legislative proposals.

Read the full story at The Hill

Rep. Bishop Statement on Appointment of Kathleen Hartnett White as CEQ Chair

October 13, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:

Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White to chair the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:

“Kathleen Hartnett White is a great choice to help the administration realign priorities at CEQ. Over the past eight years, this executive office has attempted to use the National Environmental Policy Act as a tool to stonewall any project with a federal nexus. I look forward to working with her on a long overdue streamlining of NEPA and other efforts to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the administrative state to people.”