Latest news with #NickBegich
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Alaska Cong. Begich Seeks More Balanced Protections For Marine Mammals
The House Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee held a July 22 hearing on a draft bill sponsored by Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) which would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Begich and other supporters of reform of the MMPA believe the law needs to be modernized to better reflect current science, eliminate conflicts and duplication of bureaucratic processes, and provide for more consistent and certain application of the law. The effort to amend the MMPA is in line with the Trump administration's goal of streamlining federal permitting processes to speed development of domestic energy resources needed to meet rising demand. 'The MMPA has been in place for over 50 years and during that time, it's served an important role in conserving marine mammals and protecting our oceans,' Begich said. 'As the decades have passed, we've seen how its implementation, particularly in the use of vague or overly precautionary standards, has led to confusion, delay and unintended harm.' He also stated: 'My goal is simple. I want a bill that protects marine mammals and also works for the people who live and work alongside them, especially in Alaska.' An Array Of Competing Stakeholders As will always be the case with an effort to amend one of the major federal statutes related to environmental or wildlife protections, the proposed bill has attracted strong views both pro and con. Wyoming Republican Harriet Hageman, who Chairs the subcommittee, said the discussion draft 'will make vital reforms to the MMPA,' and would advance 'the goals of House Republicans and the Trump Administration to streamline the permitting process and provide clear direction to federal regulatory agencies.' But the bill's opponents had different views, often becoming emotional in their statements. Kathleen Collins, Senior Marine Campaign Manager, International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the notion of the proposed reforms making their way into law 'is heartbreaking.' She went onto warn members that, if the bill is ultimately passed and signed by President Trump, 'The blood of thousands of marine mammals will be on the hands of Congress, and the entire well-being of the ocean ecosystem could very well be altered.' Along the same lines, Alaska Director at the Center for Biological Diversity Cooper Freeman warned, "If Begich's bill passes, it would needlessly make our marine mammal species far more vulnerable to injury and death than they already are and could change Alaska's oceans forever. We can't let his bill become law." EnerGeo Wants To Eliminate Redundancies Certainly, it is not in any stakeholder's or policymaker's best long-term interests to amend the MMPA in a way that would produce the fright scenario outcomes laid out by the bill's opponents. Any short-term gains which might be made would quickly be washed away by an inevitable backlash should changes to the law be tied to major harms to protected species. By the same token, it is not in the public's best interest to allow identified inefficiencies and duplications of bureaucratic processes to needlessly impede commercial fishing, energy, and other offshore industrial activities. The bill's proponents believe there is a middle ground to be struck to properly balance all the competing stakeholder interests. One such proponent, Forrest Burkholder, President and CEO of SAExploration, who testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance, told the hearing that fixing these issues would 'increase permitting efficiency, decrease uncertainty, and ultimately benefit all stakeholders, the implementing agencies, and most importantly, marine mammals.' EnerGeo Alliance is a trade association representing the geoscience industry which conducts most geological and seismic surveys for wind, oil and gas, and other industries seeking to mount offshore developments. In a recent interview, Dustin Van Liew, senior vice president, global policy & government affairs, told me that EnerGeo's main goal for legislation is reforms that promote 'the objective application of the best available scientific and commercially available data and information.' A lack of objectivity and an inconsistent application of the law is a common complaint from the business world, since uncertainty in the regulatory process only serves to make project planning and execution more difficult and costly. Van Liew says that, too often, permitting decisions are based on non-objective assumptions and computer models that are loaded up with findings from non-peer-reviewed study drafts rather than sound science. EnerGeo has also compiled a list of examples of time-wasting duplications of efforts stemming from competing requirements between the MMPA and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). One of the main drivers of this longstanding problem is that the two laws are, generally, administered by different agencies: The MMPA by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) inside the Department of Commerce, and the ESA by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) at the Interior Department – with additional overlaps depending on the species being managed. 'There are varying layers of requirements that the two different departments and the agencies within those departments are all trying to analyze,' Van Liew says, adding, 'And then of course NEPA overlays all of this as well,' a reference to time-consuming environmental impact statements required under the National Environmental Policy Act. One Piece Of A Much Larger Energy Permitting Puzzle Last month's hearing on Begich's discussion draft is an early step in the long, complicated process of turning a bill into law. But the testimony taken serves to highlight tensions between the myriad stakeholder interests at play. It also helps to highlight the larger drama that makes getting to a bigger, comprehensive approach to streamlining federal permitting processes such a gargantuan goal to attain. When one realizes that modernizing the MMPA to allow human offshore activities while preserving marine mammal protections is just one piece in a puzzle made up of a thousand equally challenging parts, the task seems overwhelming. Yet, if America is to be able to meet its future energy demands, getting there is less a goal than it is an imperative.
Boston Globe
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale
Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifeblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage, and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. Advertisement The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who, like Golden, represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry. Advertisement The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations, including the Maine Lobstermen's Association, said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.' The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by The
The Independent
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035
A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear. The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035. Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales. 'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who like Golden represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry. The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations including the Maine Lobstermen's Association said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.' The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by collisions with large ships. The population of the whales fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sullivan and Begich report large fundraising hauls, looking toward well-funded challengers in 2026 elections
Jul. 18—Alaska's Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich reported large fundraising hauls earlier this month, even before any serious challengers have announced they would run against them in the 2026 elections. Sullivan reported raising $1.4 million between April and June. Begich reported raising just over $800,000 in the same period. Much of their funding came from political action committees. After expenses, Sullivan had $3.9 million in his campaign account at the beginning of the month, with 16 months to go until the 2026 election. Begich had $1.2 million in his account. Begich's campaign continues to owe $425,000 to Begich from a personal loan he made to his campaign in 2022. One Democrat has filed to run against Begich for Alaska's U.S. House seat, John Williams of Fairbanks, but he reported no fundraising in July. Even without other serious challengers in the Senate or House races, national groups aligned with the Democratic Party have begun running attack ads against Sullivan and Begich, who have aligned themselves with President Donald Trump and his agenda. Sullivan has served in the U.S. Senate since 2014 and has filed to run for his third term in office. Begich, a freshman lawmaker, defeated Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola in 2024 after running unsuccessfully in 2022. There has been some speculation that Peltola could run for office in 2026, including possibly against Sullivan, but she has not said whether she would run and for which office. House Majority Forward, a progressive nonprofit, has run ads attacking Begich as part of a $10 million campaign targeting Republicans in what the organization views as swing districts. More recently, Majority Forward has run ads targeting Sullivan after he voted in favor of Trump's tax and spending bill. The group has also run ads in Iowa, Maine and North Carolina — where the committee views Senate races as winnable by Democrats. The 907 Initiative, an Alaska progressive organization, recently launched an attack ad targeting Sullivan for his vote on the tax and spending bill. The ads have caught Sullivan's attention, and he addressed them on social media last month, accusing "far-left-wing affiliated Democrat groups" of running "blatantly false attacks ads" against him. A spokesperson for Sullivan's campaign said Sullivan has built "broad coalitions" for his past campaigns. "He's always wanted to build a big tent," said spokesman Nate Adams. "Despite not having a candidate, the senator is not taking anything for granted." "We're already laying the groundwork to build a grassroots operation and to make sure the senator is equipped regardless of who runs against him," said Adams.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska's US Rep. Nick Begich co-sponsors bill to limit ranked choice voting
Apr. 30—Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III of Alaska has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in federal elections. One of the main authors of the measure that led to ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska criticized the bill, saying it amounts to federal overreach. Begich said in a Monday statement that ranked choice voting has added uncertainty and confusion to the federal election process. " 'One person, one vote' is a proven, tried and true method that is easy to understand, easy to audit, and quick to report," Begich said. "Experiments with our national election systems risk disenfranchisement of voters and lead to outcomes that do not represent the true will of the American people." Alaska voters approved ranked choice voting and open primaries by a small margin through a ballot measure in 2020. The voting method has been used in Alaska in state and federal elections since 2022. Begich ran for Congress three times under ranked choice voting, starting with the 2022 special election, and won last year after losing his first two attempts. Supporters of ranked choice voting and open primaries have said the election system has led to more consensus candidates elected and more power for Alaska voters. Opponents of ranked choice voting have said the election system confuses voters. In February, an initiative to repeal ranked choice voting in Alaska got the green light for signature-gathering from Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. If successful, it would appear on the ballot in 2026. A similar repeal effort narrowly failed to pass in 2024. Anchorage attorney Scott Kendall, one of the main authors of the 2020 ballot measure that led to ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska, said the proposed legislation amounts to enormous federal overreach. "By and large, the federal government allows states to run elections themselves," he said. "He would have the federal government take that back from states." Kendall called Begich's statement irresponsible. Courts have found that ranked choice voting does not violate one-person, one-vote, he said. If the legislation were to pass, it would be confusing to have separate voting methods in Alaska for candidates for state and federal offices, he said. "The federal government should keep its nose out of our elections," he said. "I'm frankly shocked he would feel otherwise."
