The TRCP’s scouting report on sportsmen’s issues in Congress
The Senate will be in session from Monday through Thursday. The House will be in session from Monday through Friday.
ICYMI, last week, the conservation community celebrated a major win for the protection of wetlands, headwaters, tributaries, prairie potholes, and other water resources. The EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the passage of a long-awaited rule which clarifies and expands protections for wetlands and waterways under the Clean Water Act. The clean water rule was signed despite heated resistance in both the House and Senate. To learn more about this historic development, click here.

This week, the Senate committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will mark up its resolution on elements of the rule, and its effect on business, while a House committee discusses the impact of EPA regulations on businesses. BTW, hunters and anglers have some weight to throw around in the economy vs water protection conversation: The clean water rule will bolster the $646-billion outdoor recreation economy by protecting habitat heavily relied upon by wildlife, outdoor businesses, and local communities.
In other water news, this Tuesday a Senate committee will hear testimony on Western drought conditions and what states are doing to address them. Details can be found here.
Fisheries Management Act Won’t Be Easy to Land
This week, the House will consider a measure that would make significant changes to fisheries management language in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), H.R. 1335 would not only end a 10-year limit in place for rebuilding fish stocks, but would alleviate catch requirements that apply to various species. It would also reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which expired in 2013.
This legislation will not have an easy path forward. With support already divided along party lines, it will face an uphill climb in both the House and Senate. The White House has also issued a veto threat, further clouding its future. The conservation and fisheries community are also divided in their opinions toward the bill. Last week, former heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service wrote a letter to House leadership urging them to resist the measure.
The legislative text can be found here.
Healthier Forests, Less Time in Court
In a hearing to be held on Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands will examine a discussion draft that would expedite the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, which currently calls for thorough assessments of forestry projects to measure for potential harmful natural impacts, but also makes the agency vulnerable to costly, time-consuming lawsuits. The goal of the bill, titled “Returning Resilience to our Overgrown, Fire-prone National Forests Act of 2015,” introduced by Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), is to enable the U.S. Forest Service to complete additional timber projects faster and with less interference due to litigation.
Advocates of this legislation argue that an expedited NEPA review process would not only improve forest health nationwide, but also severely reduce the long-term risk of wildfires and the rising suppression costs that have crippled the Forest Service for the past few years. But many oppose the bill, saying that it could create a snowball effect that would allow for dramatic increases in forestry and timber projects with little concern for environmental impacts.
You can find more information on the hearing here.
This Week in Full:
Monday, June 1
House Meeting to set rules for floor debate on Transportation and Commerce appropriations bills Rules
Tuesday, June 2
House Hearing on the QER and energy bill discussion drafts
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power
House Hearing on OSMRE’s stream protection rule
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Senate Markup of resolution on the Waters of the U.S. rule
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Senate Hearing on Western drought
Energy and Natural Resources
Wednesday, June 3
Senate Hearing on energy bill efficiency and accountability title
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Senate Hearing on draft forestry legislation
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands
Thursday, June 4
House Hearing on the effects of U.S. EPA regulations on business
House Science, Space, and Technology