The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) reported that the House Committee on Natural Resources recently voted to send House Resolution 8704 to the House of Representatives. The bill would establish a grant program prioritizing technology to protect North Atlantic right whales from vessel strikes.
The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by U.S. representatives Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.) and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), moved to the full U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. The legislation passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 23 to 13.
According to an NMMA statement, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) pushed back on arguments that technology doesn’t exist today, saying, that the “technology is there to detect whales” and that it is a “mischaracterization” to suggest otherwise. The congressman further questioned those opposed to the bill, asking, “why wouldn’t we want to use this technology, instead of putting out of business commercial and recreational fisheries?”
“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,” NMMA president and CEO Frank Hugelmeyer said in a separate statement. “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.”
The resolution is in response to a NOAA proposal that would slow boats as small as 35 feet to 10 knots along much of the Eastern Seaboard during large swaths of the calendar year to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from vessel strikes.
