Sponsors (3)
The bill clarifies NOAA's authority and reduces regulatory uncertainty for fishers, but it may impose compliance costs on small fishing businesses and creates timing uncertainty for future whale conservation reviews.
Federal agencies (NOAA and the Secretary of Commerce) gain clearer statutory authority to set and apply protections for the North Atlantic right whale, enabling more consistent regulatory action and enforcement.
Commercial fishing operators (small businesses) receive consolidated and clarified regulatory language about which rules apply and when, reducing uncertainty and making compliance planning easier.
Coastal and rural communities and conservation stakeholders face uncertainty because altering statutory review timelines could delay or accelerate conservation reviews, making future protections for the North Atlantic right whale less predictable.
Small commercial fishing businesses may face increased costs or operational disruption if extended or changed compliance deadlines require gear modifications or other adjustments on a different timetable.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Replaces statutory trigger/effective-date language in 16 U.S.C. § 1387 to change when regulations protecting the North Atlantic right whale apply to commercial fishing.
Official title: To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective.
Introduced April 27, 2026 by Jared Golden · Last progress April 27, 2026
Amends the statutory language that governs the effective dates or trigger language for regulations under 16 U.S.C. § 1387 related to the North Atlantic right whale and incidental take from commercial fishing. The single-section change replaces existing date/trigger text with new text, altering when and how certain North Atlantic right whale protective regulations apply to commercial fishing operations.