Fishermen's organizations in New England are alarmed by a bill proposed by Democrats on Capitol Hill that they believe would silence their objections to offshore wind development and other issues.
America's seafood industry leaders are protesting a new initiative by Democrats in Congress to revitalize a legal ideology that fishermen fear will "silence" their voices.
On Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her Democratic allies introduced the Stop Corporate Capture Act (SCCA). The bill aims to prevent corporations from "hijacking" government agencies.
Fishermen Fight Back: Democrats' Bill Threatens Industry's Voice
The measure would codify the Chevron doctrine, a legal principle established in the 1980s that mandates courts to defer to agency expertise when a federal regulation is challenged. However, last month, the Supreme Court overturned the doctrine in response to a lawsuit brought by fishermen who claimed the government had imposed unauthorized rules on their industry. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that "Chevron deference permits the Executive Branch to exercise powers not given to it."
In the wake of the Chevron doctrine's possible re-instatement, New England fishermen are expressing their outrage, highlighting the recent offshore wind disaster on Massachusetts' Nantucket Island as a cautionary tale.
Fishermen Fight Back: Democrats' Bill Threatens Industry's Voice
"So-called expert bureaucrats greenlit the Vineyard Wind turbines that are crumbling in Senator Warren's own state, littering the shores from Nantucket to Cape Cod with debris. Fishermen have consistently warned that offshore wind will be a catastrophe for our oceans, but government agencies have abused Chevron deference to dismiss our concerns," stated Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association (NEFSA).
Leeman emphasized, "Without Chevron, fishermen finally have an opportunity to protect their jobs, traditions, communities, and marine ecosystems from regulators and developers who are corporatizing our oceans."
Fishermen Fight Back: Democrats' Bill Threatens Industry's Voice
NEFSA and other organizations such as the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) have opposed the Biden administration's offshore wind development plans, but to no avail. Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between foreign firms Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has erected wind farms off the Massachusetts coast.
In December, a football field-length blade broke off a wind turbine, scattering debris and fiberglass shards into the ocean, much of which ended up on Nantucket's shores.
Fishermen Fight Back: Democrats' Bill Threatens Industry's Voice
Fishermen like Leeman, who assert their status as genuine experts in their own industry, fear that the Chevron doctrine's codification into law would give them less influence over regulatory decisions.
"Senator Warren's relentless attacks on America's small businesses and family farms know no bounds. She favors restoring bureaucrats' dominance over small businesses after the Supreme Court rightfully liberated them from government overreach," said Steve Forbes.
Fishermen Fight Back: Democrats' Bill Threatens Industry's Voice
"The bill introduced by Senator Warren and her far-left colleagues in Congress, which aims to codify the Chevron Doctrine, is an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's recent decision that curtailed unchecked federal agencies," said Elaine Parker of the Job Creators Network Foundation.
"Senator Warren and her ilk seek to delegate their legislative responsibilities to bureaucrats, facilitating the government's expansion at the expense of ordinary Americans," Parker said, adding that the bill is "likely unconstitutional."
"This [bill] underscores that Democrats prioritize regulators over average Americans," she concluded.
Senator Warren's office declined to comment on the matter.
