Carter, Peltola submit bill delaying funds for NOAA speed restriction rules

Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and Mary Peltola (D-AK) introduced a bipartisan bill to delay funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed speed restrictions for boats 35’ to 65’ until the Department of Commerce can fully implement new monitoring systems for North American Right Whales.

This bill comes after boaters, harbor pilots, and business owners raised concerns that the new safety regulations, nobly designed to protect the right whale from extinction, will pose safety risks for commercial vessels, threaten up to 340,000 American jobs, and negatively impact nearly $84 billion in economic contributions. Citing NOAA’s own data, the likelihood of a recreational vessel striking a right whale is less than one in a million, with boats under 65’ accounting for only five whale strikes since 2008.