Why It Matters – As the 118th Congress enters the middle of the fourth quarter, there are still several bills in play that are important to sportsmen and women and natural resource conservation. The House Natural Resources Committee recently advanced two Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) priority bills, one that reauthorizes vital fish and wildlife conservation programs and another that protects boating access along the Atlantic, to first and goal in the House.
Highlights:
- In June, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Reps. Rob Wittman, Jen Kiggans, Debbie Dingell, and Mike Thompson introduced the House companion of the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act, a bill strongly supported by CSF.
- The ACE Reauthorization Act will reauthorize fish, wildlife, and habitat conservation programs across the nation that are important to sportsmen and women.
- Another CSF priority, H.R. 8704, introduced by CSC Members Representatives Carter and Peltola, would momentarily delay any changes to the existing North Atlantic vessel speed rule while technological solutions are explored and implemented. Although the chances of a recreational vessel striking a NARW are extremely small, all boats 35 feet and longer are facing a drastic reduction in safe ocean access if a NOAA-proposed rule is implemented this fall.
Last Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced two significant CSF priority bills to the House Floor: H.R. 8811, the America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act, and H.R. 8704, which delays changes to the North Atlantic Vessel Speed Reduction Rule while facilitating research and implementation of more effective large whale conservation measures using technology.
H.R. 8811 extends the provisions of the 2020 ACE Act, a crucial piece of legislation aimed at supporting wildlife conservation, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection. The reauthorization strengthens several key programs, including the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and the National Fish Habitat Partnership. These proven initiatives have been a key to wildlife and fisheries habitat restoration and enhancement for decades. The bill passed the committee under unanimous consent.
“We sincerely thank CSC Members Representatives Wittman, Kiggans, Dingell, Panetta, and Thompson for their strong bipartisan leadership in moving forward a top priority for CSF and the sportsmen’s community,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane. “The ACE Reauthorization Act will ensure that proven, highly successful programs that benefit fish, wildlife, and water quality across the nation will continue to restore, conserve, and enhance our natural resources from coast to coast.”
Sponsored by CSC Members Representatives Buddy Carter (GA) and Mary Peltola (AK), H.R. 8704 would delay a proposed expansion of NOAA’s vessel speed restriction to boats 35 feet in length and longer over much of the Atlantic Coast until 2030, while maintaining the existing 10-knot limit for vessels over 65 feet. It also creates a grant program administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to develop innovative marine technologies aimed at preventing vessel strikes. These technologies will help protect the endangered whale species while allowing safe and reasonable access to the ocean for recreational and commercial vessels. The measure passed the committee on a 23-13 vote.
“We very much appreciate CSC Members Representatives Carter and Peltola for their continued leadership to identify realistic solutions for the North Atlantic right whale while protecting reasonable access to the Atlantic Ocean for anglers and boaters,” said Chris Horton, CSF’s Senior Director of Fisheries Policy. “When the current rule was published back in 2008, NOAA officially said that the use of technology to mitigate the problem is preferable and should be pursued. Representatives Carter and Peltola’s bill is looking to do just that with the help of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.”
