On Monday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) released a statement applauding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) announcement that it has formally denied a petition from non-government organizations to establish a mandatory 10-knot speed limit and other vessel restrictions on ship traffic in the Gulf of Mexico to protect whales,
Sen. Tuberville said that this particular regulation was part of a laundry list of concerns raised by Sen. Tuberville. Most of the others are still being pushed by the Biden Administration, including the controversial Critical Habitat designation of 28,000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico. Tuberville said these would be burdensome restrictions on the oil and gas industry.
The announcement came after Senator Tuberville sent two letters and penned an op-ed column urging that Alabamians write NOAA and ask for denial of the petition.
“I was glad to see the NOAA come to their senses and reject this part of the Biden Administration’s overreaching regulatory agenda in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. Designating a Critical Habitat for the Rice’s whale throughout this expansive area would impose undue burdens and restrictions on all vessel traffic, especially in and out of the Port of Mobile in Mobile, AL. The Port of Mobile covers over 4,000 acres, generates nearly 313,000 jobs, provides approximately $2 billion in state and local tax impacts, and $85 billion in economic value to Alabama as a whole. I will continue to fight back against Joe Biden’s attempts to make us reliant on our enemies for energy when we can be producing it right here in the United States, and especially in Alabama.”
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) agreed.
“I am happy to say that NOAA heard our request and today rejected the nonsensical Rice’s whale petition pushed by far-left activists,” Sen. Britt said. “This proposal would have significantly impeded operations at the Port of Mobile, damaged Alabama’s economy, and harmed commercial and recreational fishing operations off the Gulf Coast.”
Scientists in 2021 determined that the Rice’s Whale is a genetically distinct species from the much more common Bryde’s whale. The two species are identical, but the songs sung by the Rice’s whale are distinctly different from the songs sung by the 100,000 Bryde’s whale. This is attributed to a different bone structure in their nasal passages. Scientists also note that there are differences in the two species genetically.
According to NOAA, there are approximately 51 Rice’s whales left in existence, deeming them critically endangered and in need of certain protections covered by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Rice’s whales are located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico between 100- and 400- meters in depth.
Tuberville’s office says the specific locations and habitat of the 51 whales are still unclear, citing the need for more scientific research and analyses on the whales’ existence. Most tend to be in the Gulf, more towards the Florida peninsula. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service website, only “a single Rice’s whale was observed in the western Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas.”
In September, the Gulf Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261 (GOM Lease Sale 261) Final Notice of Sale was posted, as required under the Inflation Reduction Act, but with over 6.3 million acres removed from the sale due to the potential presence of the Rice’s whale.
Sen. Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020, defeating incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-Alabama).
Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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