BUD — Budget/Appropriations
● Remain engaged with Hill staff on regional MMPA reform ideas; provide feedback to staff on MMPA legislation and hearing follow up; continue to share Client perspective on proposed transfer of MMPA/ESA duties from NOAA to the USFWS; provide information to Hill staff on North Pacific/Alaska fishery disaster issues ● Continue to provide Client with ongoing intelligence on several key regional marine issues including: ocean-related Executive Orders, West Coast MMPA Take Reduction Team (TRT) process, marine sanctuaries & monuments, MSA legislation, ESA salmon listings, offshore energy development; WA-AK chinook salmon status and SRKW population issues; CA/OR sea otter reintroduction; Hill staff changes, Aquatic Invasives Species funding and project awards, Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act, SSL ESA salmon predation, availability for fisheries-dependent ports to seek MARAD grant funding, aquaculture provisions considered in reauthorization of USDA farm programs, Harmful Algal Blooms legislation/funding, final rule on vessel electronic monitoring, Federal Fish Passage Grant Programs and awards, Mitchell Act hatcheries, Columbia River Basin restoration, fisheries disaster relief, Klamath Basin restoration, funding for Western Pacific and North Pacific Observers, Bycatch Engineering Reduction Program, and Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund; and final FY 2026 enacted funding levels for key fisheries programs and initiatives.
Lobbyists: RICK MARKS; SEBASTIAN O'KELLY
Government entities lobbied: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); SENATE