National News
Magnuson-Stevens Update up for Floor Vote Next Week. “A bill that would update the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) -- changing the US rules around annual catch limits (ACLs) and stock-rebuilding programs -- is set to take a major step toward final passage next week. The US House of Representatives’ Rules Committee has scheduled a discussion about procedures, meaning the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act (HR 200) is headed for a vote by the full lower chamber. The vote could happen as soon as Tuesday, though a date has not yet been picked, a House staffer told Undercurrent News.” [Undercurrent News, 6/21/18 (=)]
Op-Ed | Senators Should Oppose Repeal of Clean Water Rule. By Rick Shank, “Bipartisanship is a rare word in our politics these days. We rarely see prominent Democrats and Republicans working together to create solutions to problems. Fortunately, Ohio has Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman working hard to protect and restore Lake Erie in a bipartisan manner. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a plan to drastically slash the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 90 percent, to $30 million. As a co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, Portman worked with fellow task force member Brown to secure full funding of $300 million for the GLRI in the federal budget process. In addition, they were able to secure language in the federal budget process to increase the GLRI funding by $30 million a year through 2021. The Initiative is a federal funding program started in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama to kickstart the restoration of the Great Lakes. Since its inception, more than $2.9 billion has been allocated for over 4,000 projects. The GLRI is a widely praised bipartisan successful program. For every dollar invested in restoring the Great Lakes, at least double is returned, and in some cases returns are realized at six times of the investment.” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/21/18 (=)]
Senate Blocks Bill to Stop Obama Water Rule. “The Senate voted Thursday to block a measure by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that would have repealed former President Obama’s landmark water pollution rule. The amendment would have prohibited funding in a major spending bill from being used by the Army Corps of Engineers to enforce the Clean Water Rule, also known as Waters of the United States. The rule was developed alongside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Multiple federal courts have put it on hold, and the Trump administration is working to repeal it. Senators voted 62-34 to table the amendment, effectively blocking it.” [The Hill, 6/21/18 (=)]
House Passes Farm Bill, Banks Amendment to Repeal WOTUS. “Today the House voted to advance the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, legislation that reauthorizes farm and food assistance programs as well as the amendment to permanently repeal the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule authored by Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03). ‘Hoosier farmers and agriculture producers are closer to receiving relief from this massive government power grab,’ said Banks. ‘WOTUS gave unelected bureaucrats at the EPA the power to broadly interpret what is a navigable waterway in a way where even a puddle could be subject to federal regulation. This rule has been harmful across all industries in our country and it is time we remove the regulation once and for all.’” [WBIW, 6/21/18 (=)]