Latest news with #RegulatoryFreezePendingReview
Japan Times
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Trump's regulatory freeze throws U.S. fishing industry into chaos
U.S. President Donald Trump's regulatory freeze has injected chaos and uncertainty into a number of lucrative American fisheries, raising the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and leading to overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna, according to interviews with industry groups and federal government employees. America's $320 billion fishing industry relies on a branch of the federal government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to manage coastal fisheries. Under a 1976 law, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen. Trump's Jan. 20 declaration of a 60-day freeze on regulations disrupted this process for several of those fisheries, delaying key meetings and causing confusion over the issuance of new rules, according to interviews. The freeze allowed overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna in waters off North Carolina, which could mean reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen when the fish migrate further north this summer, according to a Massachusetts lawmaker as well as industry groups and the federal government employees. "There's just a lot of confusion right now, both internal and external," said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, an industry group. "I'm getting calls from fishermen asking what's going to happen." A sign marks the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in Point Judith, Rhode Island, on March 13. | REUTERS Some 163 probationary employees — or about 5% of the NOAA workforce dealing with fisheries — were fired last month including administrative support staff, fish biologists and fisheries management specialists, said a senior NOAA employee who was among those fired. Those roles are involved in the regulatory process, from monitoring the health of stocks to consulting on regulations for annual catch. The agency confirmed the freeze in an email, but said that it would not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on management and personnel issues. "NOAA Fisheries is complying with the Presidential Memorandum 'Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,'" NOAA spokesperson Rachel Hager said. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Even if new regulations can be issued once the freeze lifts, delays in openings can have an impact on the industry, especially fishermen who rely on migratory fish or operate smaller vessels. 'Make or break' "It can make or break a fishery if the window of opportunity to go fishing is narrowed or shifts significantly,' said Noah Oppenheim, principal of Homarus Strategies, which advises commercial fishermen and organizations across the country. Reuters spoke to two industry groups and 13 staff at NOAA, who described impacts from Alaska to the Atlantic because of regulatory delays and job cuts. Twelve of the NOAA staff were fired and reinstated on March 17 in response to a court order, though they were placed on administrative leave. The Trump administration has told all federal agencies to submit plans for further staff cuts. The effects of the regulatory freeze on the fishing season and the scope of job cuts at NOAA's fisheries arm have not been previously reported. The impact on the U.S. fishing fleet, which employs 39,000 commercial fishermen, is one example of how suspending federal government regulations and job cuts can impact broad swathes of the U.S. economy. Bluefish tuna were overfished in the mid-Atlantic this month because NOAA did not issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January, according to two letters sent to NOAA from Bill Keating, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts. Keating's initial attempt to reach NOAA's congressional liaison failed because that person had been fired, and his second attempt to warn the interim administrator went unanswered, his office said. A drone view shows commercial fishing boats in Point Judith, Rhode Island, on March 13. | REUTERS NOAA eventually closed the mid-Atlantic fishery on Feb. 28 after 125% of the catch quota had been taken. But John McMurray, a bluefin fisherman in New York, says he is not sure how much of the prized fish will be available for him to catch when his season gets under way in June "It's hard for me to believe we're not going to get punished up here in New York and New England for that,' he said. Trump exempted fishing and hunting from a regulatory freeze during his first term, but no such exception has been announced during his current administration. The White House has said that reducing regulation will help combat inflation and drive job growth. 'No fishery, no work' John Ainsworth, a commercial fisherman who has been fishing squid and other fish off of Rhode Island since 1990, said he fears a chaotic approach to the catch could wipe out fishing stocks. "The federal managers for the squid fishery are supposed to be slashed and without them, when do we know when the seasons open? When will they decide how much of the quota is caught?' he asked. Some New England fisheries are expected to open late because of delays in the regulatory process, according to the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory group. The Northeast's $41 million groundfish fishery, which includes cod, haddock and flounder, is on track to miss its traditional May 1 opening date unless NOAA or the Secretary of Commerce take emergency action, said Martens from the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. A small fraction of New England's $400 million scallop industry also faces only a partial opening on April 1. At this point, publishing new regulations could take until late April, Martens said. John Ainsworth, captain of the commercial fishing boat Hope and Sydney, in Point Judith, Rhode Island, on March 13 | REUTERS Delayed opening of fisheries means less fishing time for fishermen, less work for crews and less fish to send to markets, said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association. "No fishery means no work," she said. Alaska's black cod (or sablefish) and halibut fisheries will open on time on March 20, but only after Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke directly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, she said on X. NOAA staff worked through the weekend to complete the rulemaking process so the season could open, said Behnken, who was involved in the effort. Preparations for the Pacific coast salmon fishing season are also behind schedule, because of disruptions to the fishery management council meeting, one NOAA employee said. Rebecca Howard, a fish biologist, was preparing population surveys of shellfish and pollock, cod and groundfish when she was fired from her job at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center on Feb. 27. The data helps to set fish and crab quotas to ensure a sustainable take. Such stock assessments are essential to fishermen like Christopher Willi. Fishermen are not able to regulate on their own, he said. "You need the federal government to do it,' said Willi, a charter fishing guide and restaurant owner on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. "If these quotas aren't maintained and regulated and monitored with stock assessments by NOAA, it's going to become a free-for-all and you're gonna find existing stocks depleted.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's regulatory freeze throws US fishing industry into chaos
By Valerie Volcovici, Leah Douglas and Gloria Dickie (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's regulatory freeze has injected chaos and uncertainty into a number of lucrative American fisheries, raising the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and leading to overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna, according to Reuters interviews with industry groups and federal government employees. America's $320 billion fishing industry relies on a branch of the federal government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to manage coastal fisheries. Under a 1976 law, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen. Trump's January 20 declaration of a 60-day freeze on regulations disrupted this process for several of those fisheries, delaying key meetings and causing confusion over the issuance of new rules, according to Reuters interviews. The freeze allowed overfishing in waters off North Carolina of Atlantic bluefin tuna which could mean reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen when the fish migrate further north this summer, according to a Massachusetts lawmaker as well as industry groups and the federal government employees. "There's just a lot of confusion right now, both internal and external," said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, an industry group. "I'm getting calls from fishermen asking what's going to happen." Some 163 probationary employees - or about 5% of the NOAA workforce dealing with fisheries - were fired last month including administrative support staff, fish biologists and fisheries management specialists, a senior NOAA employee who was among those fired told Reuters. Those roles are involved in the regulatory process, from monitoring the health of stocks to consulting on regulations for annual catch. The agency confirmed the freeze in an email, but said that it would not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on management and personnel issues. 'NOAA Fisheries is complying with the Presidential Memorandum 'Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,' NOAA spokesperson Rachel Hager said. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Even if new regulations can be issued once the freeze lifts, delays in openings can have an impact on the industry, especially fishermen who rely on migratory fish or operate smaller vessels. 'It can make or break a fishery if the window of opportunity to go fishing is narrowed or shifts significantly,' said Noah Oppenheim, principal of Homarus Strategies, which advises commercial fishermen and organizations across the country. Reuters spoke to two industry groups, 13 staff at NOAA, who described impacts from Alaska to the Atlantic because of regulatory delays and job cuts. Twelve of the NOAA staff were fired and reinstated on March 17 in response to a court order, though they were placed on administrative leave. The Trump administration has told all federal agencies to submit plans for further staff cuts. The effects of the regulatory freeze on the fishing season and the scope of job cuts at NOAA's fisheries arm have not been previously reported. The impact on the U.S. fishing fleet, which employs 39,000 commercial fishermen, is one example of how suspending federal government regulations and job cuts can impact broad swathes of the U.S. economy. Bluefish tuna were overfished in the mid-Atlantic this month because NOAA did not issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January, according to two letters sent to NOAA from Bill Keating, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts. Keating's initial attempt to reach NOAA's congressional liaison failed because that person had been fired, and his second attempt to warn the interim administrator went unanswered, his office said. NOAA eventually closed the mid-Atlantic fishery on February 28 after 125% of the catch quota had been taken. But John McMurray, a bluefin fisherman in New York, says he is not sure how much of the prized fish will be available for him to catch when his season gets underway in June. "It's hard for me to believe we're not going to get punished up here in New York and New England for that,' he said. Trump exempted fishing and hunting from a regulatory freeze during his first term, but no such exception has been announced during his current administration. The White House has said that reducing regulation will help combat inflation and drive job growth. John Ainsworth, a commercial fisherman who has been fishing squid and other fish off of Rhode Island since 1990, said he fears a chaotic approach to the catch could wipe out fishing stocks. 'The federal managers for the squid fishery are supposed to be slashed and without them, when do we know when the seasons open? When will they decide how much of the quota is caught?' he asked. Some New England fisheries are expected to open late because of delays in the regulatory process, according to the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory group. The Northeast's $41 million groundfish fishery, which includes cod, haddock, and flounder, is on track to miss its traditional May 1 opening date unless NOAA or the Secretary of Commerce take emergency action, Martens, from the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, told Reuters. A small fraction of New England's $400 million scallop industry also faces only a partial opening on April 1. At this point, publishing new regulations could take until late April, Martens said. Delayed opening of fisheries means less fishing time for fishermen, less work for crews, and less fish to send to markets, said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association. "No fishery means no work," she said. Alaska's black cod (or sablefish) and halibut fisheries will open on time on March 20, but only after Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke directly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, she said on X. NOAA staff worked through the weekend to complete the rule-making process so the season could open, said Behnken, who was involved in the effort. Preparations for the Pacific coast salmon fishing season are also behind schedule, because of disruptions to the fishery management council meeting, one NOAA employee said. Rebecca Howard, a fish biologist, was preparing population surveys of shellfish and pollock, cod and groundfish when she was fired from her job at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center on Feb. 27. The data helps to set fish and crab quotas to ensure a sustainable take. Such stock assessments are essential to fishermen like Christopher Willi. Fishermen are not able to regulate on their own, he said. 'You need the federal government to do it,' said Willi, a charter fishing guide and restaurant owner on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. 'If these quotas aren't maintained and regulated and monitored with stock assessments by NOAA, it's going to become a free-for-all and you're gonna find existing stocks depleted.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
How Trump's regulatory freeze is disrupting the US fishing industry
President Donald Trump's regulatory freeze has injected chaos and uncertainty into a number of lucrative American fisheries, raising the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and leading to overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna, according to Reuters interviews with industry groups and federal government employees. America's $320 billion fishing industry relies on a branch of the federal government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to manage coastal fisheries. Under a 1976 law, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen. Trump's January 20 declaration of a 60-day freeze on regulations disrupted this process for several of those fisheries, delaying key meetings and causing confusion over the issuance of new rules, according to Reuters interviews. The freeze allowed overfishing in waters off North Carolina of Atlantic bluefin tuna which could mean reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen when the fish migrate further north this summer, according to a Massachusetts lawmaker as well as industry groups and the federal government employees. "There's just a lot of confusion right now, both internal and external," said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, an industry group. "I'm getting calls from fishermen asking what's going to happen." Some 163 probationary employees - or about 5% of the NOAA workforce dealing with fisheries - were fired last month including administrative support staff, fish biologists and fisheries management specialists, a senior NOAA employee who was among those fired told Reuters. Those roles are involved in the regulatory process, from monitoring the health of stocks to consulting on regulations for annual catch. The agency confirmed the freeze in an email, but said that it would not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on management and personnel issues. 'NOAA Fisheries is complying with the Presidential Memorandum 'Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,' NOAA spokesperson Rachel Hager said. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Even if new regulations can be issued once the freeze lifts, delays in openings can have an impact on the industry, especially fishermen who rely on migratory fish or operate smaller vessels. 'MAKE OR BREAK' 'It can make or break a fishery if the window of opportunity to go fishing is narrowed or shifts significantly,' said Noah Oppenheim, principal of Homarus Strategies, which advises commercial fishermen and organizations across the country. Reuters spoke to two industry groups and 13 staff at NOAA who described impacts from Alaska to the Atlantic because of regulatory delays and job cuts. Twelve of the NOAA staff were fired and reinstated on March 17 in response to a court order, though they were placed on administrative leave. The federal managers for the squid fishery are supposed to be slashed and without them, when do we know when the seasons open? When will they decide how much of the quota is caught? The Trump administration has told all federal agencies to submit plans for further staff cuts. The effects of the regulatory freeze on the fishing season and the scope of job cuts at NOAA's fisheries arm have not been previously reported. The impact on the U.S. fishing fleet, which employs 39,000 commercial fishermen, is one example of how suspending federal government regulations and job cuts can impact broad swathes of the U.S. economy. Bluefish tuna were overfished in the mid-Atlantic this month because NOAA did not issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January, according to two letters sent to NOAA from Bill Keating, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts. Keating's initial attempt to reach NOAA's congressional liaison failed because that person had been fired, and his second attempt to warn the interim administrator went unanswered, his office said. NOAA eventually closed the mid-Atlantic fishery on February 28 after 125% of the catch quota had been taken. But John McMurray, a bluefin fisherman in New York, says he is not sure how much of the prized fish will be available for him to catch when his season gets underway in June. "It's hard for me to believe we're not going to get punished up here in New York and New England for that,' he said. Trump exempted fishing and hunting from a regulatory freeze during his first term, but no such exception has been announced during his current administration. The White House has said that reducing regulation will help combat inflation and drive job growth. John Ainsworth, a commercial fisherman who has been fishing squid and other fish off of Rhode Island since 1990, said he fears a chaotic approach to the catch could wipe out fishing stocks. 'The federal managers for the squid fishery are supposed to be slashed and without them, when do we know when the seasons open? When will they decide how much of the quota is caught?' he asked. Some New England fisheries are expected to open late because of delays in the regulatory process, according to the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory group. The Northeast's $41 million groundfish fishery, which includes cod, haddock, and flounder, is on track to miss its traditional May 1 opening date unless NOAA or the Secretary of Commerce take emergency action, Martens, from the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, told Reuters. A small fraction of New England's $400 million scallop industry also faces only a partial opening on April 1. At this point, publishing new regulations could take until late April, Martens said. Delayed opening of fisheries means less fishing time for fishermen, less work for crews, and less fish to send to markets, said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association. "No fishery means no work," she said. Alaska's black cod (or sablefish) and halibut fisheries will open on time on March 20, but only after Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke directly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, she said on X. NOAA staff worked through the weekend to complete the rule-making process so the season could open, said Behnken, who was involved in the effort. If these quotas aren't maintained and regulated and monitored with stock assessments by NOAA, it's going to become a free-for-all and you're gonna find existing stocks depleted. Preparations for the Pacific coast salmon fishing season are also behind schedule, because of disruptions to the fishery management council meeting, one NOAA employee said. Rebecca Howard, a fish biologist, was preparing population surveys of shellfish and pollock, cod and groundfish when she was fired from her job at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center on Feb. 27. The data helps to set fish and crab quotas to ensure a sustainable take. Such stock assessments are essential to fishermen like Christopher Willi. Fishermen are not able to regulate on their own, he said. 'You need the federal government to do it,' said Willi, a charter fishing guide and restaurant owner on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. 'If these quotas aren't maintained and regulated and monitored with stock assessments by NOAA, it's going to become a free-for-all and you're gonna find existing stocks depleted.' Get weekly news and analysis on U.S. politics and how it matters to the world with the Reuters Politics U.S. newsletter. Sign up here. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas in Washingon and Gloria Dickie in London; Photography by Brian Snyder; Photo editing by Corinne Perkins; Video production by Kristy Kilburn; Video editing by Grace Lee, Ryan Brooks and Dan Fastenberg; Art direction by Jillian Kumagai; Editing by Suzanne Goldenberg
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New ban takes effect on silent killer lurking in many household products: 'A major milestone'
The Environmental Protection Agency has put on hold a ban on a toxic chemical once found in huge volumes at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune military base. The ban was scheduled to take effect Jan. 16 and would have regulated trichloroethylene, or TCE, a colorless, volatile chemical compound that has been used to make refrigerants and as a degreasing formula for metal equipment. The EPA said it delayed the ban until March 21 in association with the "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review" memorandum from President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. TCE — which can also be found in everyday household products like cleaning wipes, paint removers, carpet cleaners, and spot removers — is a known carcinogen that was most famously found in the highly contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Military communities working and living there during the contamination have been diagnosed with serious conditions at significantly higher rates than normal, as CNN reported. Half a million compensation claims have been filed by affected individuals. As a result, the EPA took action and made the groundbreaking decision to ban TCE manufacturing, processing, and distribution. The ban was delayed along with three other planned orders that pertained to air quality, the EPA said. When and if it takes effect, the far-reaching TCE ban will phase out all such products from circulation over the next year, with the goal of protecting millions of Americans from being exposed to the cancer-causing chemical on a daily basis. It is also a massive victory for the military community members affected by the contamination crisis at Camp Lejeune, who were also able to file for disability-related restitution after 2022 legislation promoting action to help those affected. Roughly 2-8% of all cancers around the globe are directly caused by carcinogen exposure at the workplace, so this EPA ban is an incredible step forward for public health in America. Recently, several fast fashion brands were exposed for their use of carcinogens. Meanwhile, a Food and Drug Administration-proposed ban to prevent formaldehyde from being used in hair products was put in jeopardy. There is still a long way to go toward eliminating harmful toxins from American homes. Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi, a professor at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, suggested to The Carolina Journal that we can protect ourselves through "personal protective equipment, administrative controls in the workplace, and legislative action to help decrease the proportion of disease burden that chemicals contribute." Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Obeng-Gyasi confirmed the positive progress for which the EPA is setting the stage: "This ban … was kind of a major milestone in my opinion." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
