The right whale is Georgia’s state marine mammal, and for good reason. Fifteen miles off our coast, you’ll find the only known breeding ground for this species, one that is both majestic and endangered. It’s important for us to protect the right whale by ensuring that these breeding grounds are safe, which is what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is attempting to do with its recent vessel speed restrictions.
The Biden administration’s plan to save the right whale from extinction is to limit the speeds of 35’ to 65’ vessels to 11.5 mph, lowering the risk of a fatal whale strike. On its face, this may seem reasonable, but there are significant economic and safety concerns that NOAA is not taking into consideration, ones that far outweigh the risk these boats pose to our beloved right whales.
NOAA’s rule is built on the assumption that whales will be safer if recreational and smaller vessels move slower; but, using NOAA’s own data, the likelihood of a vessel under 65’ fatally striking a right whale is one in a million. Since 2008, recreational boats have only accounted for five total whale strikes, meaning by nature the boats and vessels this rule is restricting pose a miniscule threat to the right whale population. On top of that, harbor pilot’s safety is put at risk when their speeds are limited, meaning we are risking human lives for the one in a million chance that we could save just one right whale.
Then, there’s the jobs. In Georgia alone, 27,000 direct and indirect jobs are threatened if this rule were to take effect. Nationwide, that number nears 340,000. We can’t afford to lose $84 billion in economic activity, especially not when the risk of a fatal whale strike is so low. For some small business owners, this wouldn’t just mean a downtick in revenue; they could be forced to close their doors altogether.
Finally, this rule does not factor in new technologies that are helping boaters monitor right whales from underwater in real time. These upgrades are considerably more effective than speed restrictions and allow businesses to continue thriving alongside the right whale population. That’s why I introduced a bipartisan bill to pause the funding of this rule until the Department of Commerce can implement these monitoring systems and to give us more time to understand the impact of a vessel speed rule.
Look, we all want to protect our marine wildlife. But if we can do it in a way that is mutually beneficial, we should, and put simply this rule is unworkable for the American people, especially coastal Georgians, and will do little – if anything – to protect the right whale. |
In this week's edition of Buddy's Briefing, we're discussing my Saving Lives in Schools Act! |
Wednesday, June 28, 2023: On Saturday of this past weekend, I participated in the Annual Freedom Rings Parade in Rincon hosted by the Rincon Recreation Department. With a theme of “Flag, Freedom and Fireworks,” this year’s parade was the biggest to date with 42 groups participating. Afterwards, I filmed this week’s edition of Buddy’s Briefing at the West Chatham Middle School in Pooler.
We are out of session in Washington the next two weeks and, last night, I flew to Montréal, Canada, where I am participating in the Center Forward International Issues Conference. Center Forward is an organization founded by former members of Congress whose mission is to give centrist allies the information they need to craft common sense solutions and provide those allies the support they need to turn those ideas into results. Center Forward attempts to bring together members of Congress, not-for-profits, academic experts, trade associations, corporations, and unions to find common ground.
This year’s international conference is intended to study the U.S.-Canada relationship and how it can be built upon. Georgia exports $7.1 billion in goods to Canada annually with $518 million of those goods coming from the First District (GA-1). The top GA-1 goods exports to Canada are aerospace products & parts, followed by agriculture, construction machinery, pulp, and paperboard mill products. 4,710 people are employed at the 47 Canadian-owned businesses operating in GA-1.
We begin our conference this morning with a welcome and address from the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Ambassador David Cohen, as he briefs us on the history of the U.S.-Canada relationship, the values that we share, and the business partnership the two countries have relied upon for decades. After a question-and-answer session with the ambassador, we have a session dedicated to media perspectives from Canadian news outlets as we hear from Paul Wells, a freelance reporter, and Michel Auger, a political columnist from Radio-Canada. Both agree that the role and outlook of the media has changed in the U.S. and globally in recent years and that covering politics and business in Canada has been impacted by significant social and cultural changes.
In the afternoon, we focus our attention on energy and critical minerals in Canada and the importance of critical mineral production and distribution as we visit NanoXplore, a company that produces graphene, a sustainable additive. Graphene was discovered at the University of Manchester in 2004 and is derived from graphite, a naturally occurring form of carbon. It is the lightest, strongest, thinnest, and best heat and electricity conducting material discovered to date. It also received the Nobel Prize in 2010. Graphene is added to composite parts and makes them lighter, bringing about fuel efficiency, enhanced reusability of plastics, and faster charging and higher capacity for batteries.
Later in the evening, we visit with Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, a member of the Canadian Parliament from Québec, and Maja Vodanovic, Mayor of Lachine and Member of the Montréal Executive Committee, as we discuss the U.S.-Canadian relationship. |
Carter tours NanoXplore HQ |
Thursday, June 29, 2023: This morning, we head to the Canadian headquarters of Meta as we discuss the future of technology, innovation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation. With technology rapidly changing and involved in almost every aspect of our lives, AI and data privacy have been hot topics discussed in Washington and around the world as of late.
After a great discussion, we have a demonstration with AI headsets that is literally out of this world. Afterwards, we head to a meeting with the Canadian American Business Council (CABC) as we hear from business and political leaders including Genevieve Guilbault, Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport, National Assembly of Québec, as they share their perspective of U.S.-Canada relations.
Afterwards, we head to Labatt Brewing Company of Canada, the largest brewery in Canada, as we tour the facility and then have a discussion on small business entrepreneurship, local economic development, and aluminum tariffs. Once back at my hotel, I have a phone interview with Fox 28 in Savannah to discuss my upcoming telephone town hall and today's Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action. |
Carter at Canadian Business Council Luncheon |
Friday, June 30, 2023: We turn our attention to health care today as we head to the headquarters of Novartis, a global health care company, to discuss the Canadian Health System. First, we hear from an expert panel on the Canadian system’s ability to provide patient accessibility to treatment and quality of care.
Afterwards, we head to a meeting with Scott Millar, assistant deputy minister for policy in the Department of National Defense and Ty Curran, Director of Policy and Issues Management for the National Cyber Security Directorate. Among the topics we discuss are the threat of China, U.S.-Canada military agreements, and cyber threats.
Our final visit is to the Hydro Quebec Reservoir and Power Center where we tour the plant, learn of the history of the power center and of the strategic approach of the Canadians as they invest in hydropower and other renewable technologies. Impressively, the province of Québec is powered by 95% hydropower and 5% wind power, making it 100% clean energy driven. |
Carter discusses health care at Novartis HQ |
I'm having a telephone town hall on Thursday! Sign up for a call and get more information here. |
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