SEA Act Drops Anchor on Marine Species

The Marine Mammal Protection Act celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, but a sizable faction in Congress seems intent on dismantling some of its core provisions. On January 10, the House Natural Resources Committee approved HR 3133, the Streamlining Environmental Approvals (SEA) Act. This devastating bill would promote oil and gas exploration and drilling on public lands and offshore areas, resulting in harm to wildlife, habitats, and coastal communities. It would also create dangerous loopholes in Endangered Species Act protections, putting vulnerable marine mammal species at further risk. Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), ranking member of the committee, called it “a dangerous bill that was solely written to fulfill the oil and gas industries wish list.”