Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit NOAA from utilizing a science-based stakeholder decision support tool to save the North Atlantic right whale from imminent extinction.

The decision support tool was developed based on the best-available scientific information and models about the population dynamics of the whales. Defunding it undermines the consensus-based conservation decisionmaking process under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and would set a dangerous precedent for implementation of that law. It would also have lasting impacts for other species, fisheries, and industries.

Again, this whale, the North Atlantic right whale, is critically endangered. There are less than 420 left. That is fewer than we have Members of this House of Representatives.

With this amendment, while it may be well-intended to protect Maine lobstermen, it could have broadly undermining effects on right whale conservation and on NOAA's responsibilities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

I fully understand my colleague's concerns and efforts to support constituencies. I, too, represent a coastal district with commercial fishermen; so does our colleague, Seth Moulton in Massachusetts. And we are committed to working together to find a solution to the crisis facing the North Atlantic right whale, including holding a hearing on Mr. Moulton's bill, the bipartisan SAVE Right Whales Act, in the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee that I chair.

I am also fully supportive of his amendment to increase funding for right whale conservation. We should be devoting more resources to develop innovative solutions for the recovery of right whales to meet both fisheries and conservation goals, not choosing one goal over the other which, unfortunately, this amendment does.

I would also point out that the Committee on Natural Resources worked with Mr. Golden on several other possible amendments. We continue to stand ready to work on other ways and other solutions, but unfortunately, this amendment is not it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, the tool that we are talking about was developed by a consensus-based take reduction team that included the consensus support of all representatives of the fishing industry who sat on that team, the entire Maine delegation, that the team unanimously supported the decision.

Mr. Chair, an end-run around that congressionally mandated process at this critical moment, taking away the lifeline that the North Atlantic right whale needs as it teeters on the brink of extinction, is the wrong way to protect Maine lobstermen. We can work together on other threats, other ways to help the lobstermen.

We need to start that conversation with climate change. Certainly, the trade impacts to the lobstermen and other fishing communities should be something we do to help them, the threat of offshore drilling in the Atlantic. And let's get them some more financial support if there is too much burden to implement the technologies and strategies that have been represented here.

But the North Atlantic right whale is running out of time, and we should not move the goalpost on these critically endangered species in this way.

Mr. Chair, I request a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source