Free Republic

Landmark environmental laws leveraged for decades to challenge infrastructure projects are now being used against offshore wind, a key aspect of ... Joe Biden’s green energy agenda. A new lawsuit brought by grassroots environmental groups, fishermen and local citizens alleges that the government did not abide by the terms of statutes including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act in a rush to permit two massive offshore wind developments off the East Coast. “Destroying ocean habitat in the name of climate change prevention is absolutely hypocritical and atrocious,” Dustin Delano, the COO of the New England Fishermen’s...

Should the Food and Drug Administration be allowed to approve whatever drugs it wants however it wants because the FDA is the expert on drug safety and efficacy? Should Congress defer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and let stand a rule that is nonsensical and harmful? And here’s the general question: should executive branch agencies have broad authority to make whatever rules they want to accomplish their aims, as long as Congress hasn’t explicitly prohibited it? For too many politicians, regulators, and commentators, the answer is “yes.” “Believe in Science” or “Trust the Experts” has come to...

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a 2009 federal decision that called for reducing the amount of water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in order to protect salmon and other species. The 2009 environmental review by the National Marine Fisheries Service found that continuing to pump water from the delta at such a high rate would threaten several endangered salmon species and killer whales. Some of the state’s biggest water agencies, including Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District, had challenged the 2009 federal decision. …

The National Marine Fisheries Service says Navy training off the San Diego County coast has been linked to the deaths of at least three dolphins and may be responsible for two more. . . . Environmentalists have called on the Navy to suspend activities involved in the deaths and conduct a transparent investigation. A spokesman says the Navy is continuing its training program in the area.

With a single-minded commitment to catch shares, EDF since 2005 has received more than $30 million in funding from three private philanthropies, according to a report of public databases set to be published by fisheries consultant and columnist Nils Stolpe, who made his research available to the Times. Stople reports that the largest benefactor of EDF has been the Walton Foundation, which is tied to the global retailing and commodities giant Walmart and has given EDF more than $20 million in fishery-related grants. In addition, EDF has received more than $9 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for...

Michael Milken evokes thoughts of financial wisdom at a level far beyond that of an unsophisticated fishing industry essayist like me. So, when one of the sessions at the Milken Institute Global Conference 2009 is titled "Innovative Funding for Sustainable Fisheries and Oceans," I take notice. The panel for the fisheries session was moderated by Larry Bond, a consultant for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the speakers were David Crane, David Festa, Jerry Schubel, and Jason Winship. Two members from EDF and none from the fishing industry, oh, well. The audio of the session is fascinating, particularly that of...

"He said his office also received a call about it on the IG hot line the day the files were shredded but didn't process it until after the documents were gone."

Fishing rules under scrutiny as search for fishermen ends By JAY LINDSAY BOSTON — The Coast Guard on Wednesday called off its search for five fishermen lost at sea when their scallop boat capsized in turbulent waters off Nantucket. [snip] The deaths sparked anger among boat owners and fishermen, who said federal rules which cut fishing days and penalize fishermen who leave fishing grounds early force captains to fish in dangerous weather to take advantage of limited opportunities. "You´re taking the skipper out of the wheelhouse and putting lobbyists and congressmen in the seat, making decisions for you," said Kevin...