Nicholas J. Begich III

“I want the House to pass this bill. Current bird protection laws treat Alaska Native artists like criminals for using feathers in their traditional artwork. This bill protects their right to sell authentic handicrafts made with bird parts, as long as the birds were not taken wastefully or illegally.”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6021, the Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Clarification Act, addresses a narrow but consequential gap in Federal law that has criminalized longstanding Alaska Native artistic and cultural traditions for more than a century. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act implements four separate international agreements with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. These treaties, however, do not always line up with each other. The treaties with Japan and Russia recognize the subsistence needs of indigenous peoples. The earlier treaties with Canada and Mexico did not provide the same protections. These gaps have had real consequences for Alaska Natives. Because the courts have required the Fish and Wildlife Service to apply the most restrictive of the four treaties across the board--in this case, our treaty with Japan--an Alaska Native artist who sells a traditional handicraft containing a raven feather or woodpecker feather can face up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. That is not conservation. That is not what these treaties were meant to do. It is not something the Alaska Native community should have to live with. Archie Cavanaugh was a Tlingit artist from Juneau. In 2012, he was prosecuted under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for selling a headdress and a hat containing feathers consistent with cultural practices going back generations. His case became a symbol of how badly the current framework fits Alaska. This bill clarifies that the sale and shipment of authentic Alaska Native handicrafts containing nonedible migratory bird parts is not a Federal crime, provided the parts were not taken in a wasteful or illegal manner. It contains species protection safeguards. It respects the existing co-management structure within the Alaska Migratory Bird Co- Management Council. The bill directs the Department of State and the Department of the Interior to work with our treaty partner to update the international framework so that Federal regulation and treaty text finally line up. Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to support this bill.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It speeds up the federal permit process for mining projects. America needs these minerals, but it takes decades to get permits, especially in Alaska. This delay forces our country to rely on China instead of producing our own materials.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. This bill extends the streamlined, coordinated permitting process under FAST-41 to all mining and mineral processing projects and blocks a Biden-era proposal that would have narrowed eligibility and deepened our dependence on foreign adversaries for the minerals America needs. Mr. Speaker, no State has more riding on this than Alaska. We are the fourth-largest mineral producer in the Nation, sitting on world-class deposits of rare earths, antimony, zinc, cobalt, and more. Yet, with over 60 percent of our State under Federal management, permitting timelines often extend for decades. That kind of paralysis does not help Alaskans, and it doesn’t help the rest of America. It only helps our adversaries. While Washington dithers and delays valuable projects, China floods markets, corners processing capability, and wields mineral exports as leverage against American industry and military readiness. Alaska has the resources to help end our dependence on China for critical mineral production and processing. H.R. 1501 doesn’t ask agencies to skip environmental review. It asks them to run it once on a predictable timeline rather than dragging responsible projects through duplicative reviews and years of shifting requirements. Alaska has shown time and again that resource development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Our Nation has the capability. What we have lacked is a Federal process that lets projects get built. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill. It strengthens our mineral supply chains, supports good-paying jobs in Alaska and across the country, and advances American resource independence. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.”

“I support this bill. It gives officials until 2035 to use better science before creating new fishing rules to protect whales. Rushing rules based on old data could destroy thousands of lobster fishing jobs.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act. This bill is fundamentally about getting the science right. It gives the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, or NOAA, the State of Maine, and the lobster industry until 2035 to incorporate the most current, complete data available before implementing sweeping new gear, closure, and speed restrictions under the MMPA, restrictions that, based on outdated information, could devastate a $2 billion industry and 17,500 jobs. Mr. Speaker, Alaska knows the cost of regulating with stale data. As the State with America’s largest and most valuable commercial fishing industry, we have seen Federal agencies default to rigid one-size-fits- all mandates instead of investing in the modern surveys, monitoring, and technology needed to actually understand what is happening on the water. That approach does not serve the resource and it doesn’t serve the people who depend on it, whether they are lobstermen in Maine or fishermen in Alaska Native communities back home. Good regulation has to keep pace with good science. H.R. 9436 does not weaken the MMPA or abandon right whale conservation. It gives regulators the runway to use better science and better tools to protect both the whales and the fishery. This committee endorsed that approach on a bipartisan 22-13 vote, and the Trump administration has backed it, as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan bill.”