ACE Reauthorization Act Heads to President’s Desk

Last night, the United States Senate passed an amended version of the bipartisan, bicameral America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act (H.R.8811). Following the upper chamber’s approval, this priority sportfishing legislation will head to President Biden to be signed into law in the coming days.

The Senate version of the ACE Reauthorization Act (S.3791) was sponsored by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) and passed in May of this year. The House companion was introduced by Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Mike Thompson (D-CA).

“The $230 billion sportfishing industry and America’s 57.7 million recreational anglers applaud Congress’s efforts to advance fish habitat restoration and conservation” said Mike Leonard, Vice President of Government Affairs at the American Sportfishing Association. “We appreciate the leadership of the bill’s sponsors and cosponsors, as well as our partner organizations, for seeing this important legislation all the way to the finish line.”

The ACE Reauthorization Act contains multiple provisions favored by the sportfishing industry, primary of which is the continuation of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP), a voluntary, non-regulatory, and locally driven program that has funded more than 1,300 on-the-ground aquatic habitat improvement projects throughout the country.

Additionally, the ACE Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Program to continue its multi-state partnership to improve water quality and lower pollution in our nation’s largest estuary. Since its founding in 1983, the Program has sought to clean up the Bay and conserve habitat and clean water that benefits popular sportfish like striped bass, American shad, and brook trout.

Also included in the bill is the reauthorization of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, which will continue the successful grant program run by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that improves, protects and restores wetland habitat.

Lastly, the ACE Reauthorization continues important invasive species management under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and ensures traditional tackle, such as lead sinkers and jigs, won’t be banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for five years.

Following President Biden’s signature, the programs included in this bill will be reauthorized through 2030. With many of these provisions set to expire next year, passage of the ACE Reauthorization Act ensures that there are no delays in the completion of critical fish habitat projects and that managers can adequately plan for available funding through the end of the decade.

The House of Representatives passed an amended version of the ACE Reauthorization Act on December 3rd, causing the Senate to approve changes to the original bill. The ACE Act was originally passed in 2020.