Addison McDowell: Conservation 'Must Never Come At The Expense Of Our Traditions'

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During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC) asked spoke about conservation.

Transcript

00:00The chair now calls upon Mr. McDowell for five minutes of questions.

00:04Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Mr. Shirley, for being here to testify before the committee today.

00:11Fishing and hunting have long been vital pillars of North Carolina's economy and our heritage

00:17and providing good-paying jobs, supporting rural communities, and fueling billions of dollars in economic activity.

00:25But today, hardworking fishermen and hunters face growing obstacles from excessive, expensive regulations

00:34that are imposed by federal laws like the Endangered Species Act and like the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

00:40And too often, they get in the way of common sense management,

00:44and they threaten the livelihoods of those who rely on the great outdoors.

00:49And so while conservation is important, especially to me,

00:55I've volunteered tons of time to work with groups like Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited,

01:01and I believe in conservation, I truly do.

01:05But it must never come at the expense of our traditions or economic freedom,

01:10especially when hunters and fishermen have a better track record of conservation than maybe anyone.

01:17And so we must ensure that these regulations are fair, that they are practical,

01:23and they don't undermine the ability of local groups to responsibly manage their own natural resources.

01:30And so overreach from federal agencies, it too often results in needless delays, job losses,

01:37restrictions that hurt both families and businesses.

01:40And so I hope that you are committed and I am committed to focusing on reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens

01:49from the ESA, from the MMPA, and streamlining permitting processes and giving fishermen and hunters

01:57the freedom to innovate and to grow and to enjoy the great outdoors.

02:01And so when we empower local stewards and when we respect proven conservation,

02:08the tools that we already know work, like the Pittman-Robertson Act,

02:12we can secure a thriving, sustainable outdoor economy that preserves our hunting, our fishing, and all of our traditions.

02:20And we want to do that for generations to come.

02:22And so I want to thank you for being here today to testify.

02:25I love the tie, by the way.

02:27But how do you believe that the threat of litigation impacts the service's decision-making processes?

02:37If I can quickly respond to your initial comments there.

02:42One of the coolest things I've got to do, if cool is here,

02:46was be with the secretary when he bought the first duck stamp of the year.

02:51I've been buying a duck stamp since I was 16.

02:53That's awesome.

02:54I've been hunting waterfowl since I was 12.

02:57And that's truly a success that I think points to what you're at.

03:01So hopefully everyone on this committee has a duck stamp or will get there soon.

03:05But because the program is amazing in what it's been able to do.

03:10And the other thing I'll mention is I went to Roosevelt Island over the weekend.

03:15Don't have a car out here, right?

03:17So I just wing it by the train and I went to Roosevelt Island.

03:20And again, it's just a constant reminder of how lucky we are to have the resources in this country

03:27and the role that hunters and anglers have played and paved the way for us to continue to have the resources that we do.

03:36And it takes all of us and whether you're engaged at a hunting or fishing level or a bird watching or whatever level it may be,

03:45but supporting our natural resources is where we need to be.

03:48I don't think that's me, but no.

03:52You're good.

03:53Okay.

03:54So your question on the litigation piece, it is very hard, I think, for the service to work under.

04:03A lot of that, again, is based on timeline.

04:06And that's not new to where we currently are.

04:11That's been an ongoing struggle for years and something that we need to figure out.

04:16Does the service recognize that, as written, the ESA has turned into a money-making mechanism for radical environmental groups

04:24that are hell-bent on stopping anything from new infrastructure projects to military-based operations to laundry lists of other things?

04:32Again, the citizen suit that's involved in ESA is a place that we should be able to welcome that input and feedback

04:41and whatever it deals with, but currently it is a workload and a process that has stymied the service

04:50and being able to get our mission-critical stuff done under ESA.

04:54Do you believe that it's important for the American people to know how much the federal government is paying out

05:00on the legal fees to these environmentalists?

05:03Sure.

05:03I think that that's something that should be provided.

05:06I'm not exactly sure how the service would work through doing that,

05:09but it seems like that would be a great place to start.

05:12Great.

05:12Thank you, Madam Chair.

05:13I yield back.

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