WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Natural Resources Committee today passed a bipartisan bill, led by Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and Mary Peltola (D-AK), to delay funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed jobs-killing, dangerous speed restrictions for boats 35’ to 65’ until the Department of Commerce can, through funding authorized in this bill, fully implement new monitoring systems for North Atlantic right whales.
“NOAA believes that protecting right whales requires killing the recreational boating and fishing industries. I submit that we can protect both, which is why I’m proud that the House Natural Resources Committee passed this important piece of legislation. There is technology that exists to track right whales, and we must implement it before endangering boaters’ and harbor pilots’ lives with unworkable speed restrictions. I urge a swift vote on the House floor so we can get these critical safeguards signed into law,” said Rep. Carter.
“NOAA’s proposed speed restriction rule would completely devastate coastal economies across the southeast, not to mention the rule isn’t even based on science. Congressman Carter has championed efforts pushing back against this disastrous rule and trusting the science when it comes to speed restrictions along our coasts. His legislation will also support innovative technologies and practices to limit vessel strikes and support a healthy population or right whales,” said Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
“Alaskans understand the delicate balance between protecting marine life and supporting maritime industries. This bill strikes a necessary balance, ensuring that commerce and conservation can move forward together, benefiting both our economy and our environment,” said Rep. Peltola.
H.R. 8704 comes after boaters, harbor pilots, and business owners raised concerns that the new safety regulations, nobly designed to protect the right whale from extinction, will pose safety risks for commercial vessels, threaten up to 340,000 American jobs, and negatively impact nearly $84 billion in economic contributions.
“We strongly support Representatives Carter and Peltola in their leadership to advance bipartisan legislation centered around technological solutions to protect marine life, while prioritizing boater safety and supporting coastal economies,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, President and CEO of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). “This legislation represents a critical step forward in preventing NOAA’s flawed vessel speed rule from going into effect, and identifies bipartisan, viable alternatives to solve a complex conservation issue. We urge Congress to move this bill through the legislative process to protect U.S. boaters, American jobs and marine life.”
“As the sportfishing industry continues to face uncertainty about anglers’ ability to continue accessing the Atlantic Ocean due to NOAA’s disastrous vessel speed proposal, we are grateful for the leadership of Reps. Carter, Peltola, and the bill’s other bipartisan cosponsors for continuing to push back through H.R. 8704,” said Glenn Hughes, President of the American Sportfishing Association. “This legislation will support technology to minimize the already extremely rare occurrences of right whale strikes by small vessels, while preventing economically devastating vessel speed restrictions from going into effect. We continue to question the value of unenforceable speed restrictions as a viable option, but rather recognize technology to identify whale locations and share that information with boaters in real time as the best way to reduce risk of strikes.”
Read full bill text here.
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