House subcommittee opens contentious review of Marine Mammal Protection Act discussion draft

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries met in a legislative hearing to consider a discussion draft to modernize the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Chair Hageman convened the panel; members, agency officials and industry and conservation witnesses testified about proposed changes to definitions, incidental take timelines and consultation requirements.

The draft would tighten deadlines for incidental take authorizations, revise definitions such as "harassment" and "negligible impact," and remove or alter some interagency consultation steps, according to sponsors and agency witnesses. Representative Begich said the draft aims to give coastal communities, tribes and industries predictable timelines and objective standards: "This draft aims to bring clarity, objectivity, and balance back into the implementation of the MMPA," he said during the hearing.

Supporters, including energy and geoscience industry representatives, told the…