Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the House amendment to S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016.

The House amendment includes the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2016, better known as the SHARE Act, which passed with bipartisan support in February in the House.

The SHARE Act is part of a group of commonsense bills that will eliminate unneeded regulatory impediments, safeguard against new regulations that impede outdoor sporting activities, and protect Second Amendment rights. These packages were similarly introduced and passed in the 112th and 113th Congresses.

Outdoor sporting activities, including hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting are deeply engrained in the fabric of the United States' culture and heritage. Values instilled by partaking in these activities are passed down from generation to generation and play a significant part in the lives of millions of Americans.

Much of America's outdoor sporting activity occurs on our Nation's Federal lands. Unfortunately, Federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management often prevent or impede access to Federal land for outdoor sporting activities. Because lack of access is one of the key reasons sportsmen and -women stop participating in outdoor sporting activities, ensuring the public has reliable access to our Nation's Federal lands must remain a top priority. The SHARE Act does just that.

One of the key provisions of this bill, the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Opportunities Act, will increase and sustain access for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on Federal lands for generations to come. Specifically, it protects sportsmen and -women from arbitrary efforts by the Federal Government to block Federal lands from hunting and fishing activities by implementing an open-until- closed management policy.

It also, in the package, provides tools to jointly create and maintain recreational shooting ranges on Federal lands and allows the Department of the Interior to designate hunter access corridors through National Park units so that sportsmen and -women can hunt and fish on adjacent Federal lands.

The package also protects Second Amendment rights and the use of traditional ammunition and fishing tackle. It defends law-abiding individuals' constitutional rights to keep and bear arms on lands managed by the Corps of Engineers and ensures that hunters are not burdened by outdated laws preventing bows and crossbows from being transported across national parks.

This important legislation will sustain America's rich hunting and fishing traditions, improve access to our Federal lands for responsible outdoor sporting activities, and help ensure that current and future generations of sportsmen and -women are able to enjoy the sporting activities this country holds dear.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important achievement.

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