Alexandria, VA – December 4, 2024 – Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act (H.R. 8811). The ACE Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) in the House , and Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) in the Senate (S. 3791), reauthorizes multiple sportfishing industry priorities.
“The sportfishing industry is thrilled that the House by an overwhelming 366 – 21 margin passed the ACE Reauthorization Act,” said Mike Leonard, Vice President of Government Affairs at the American Sportfishing Association. “We extend our sincere thanks to the sponsors of this bill and will continue to work hard to ensure the bill gets enacted before the end of the year.”
Passed in 2020 and set to expire in 2025, many provisions of the ACE Reauthorization are invaluable for America’s 57 million anglers and $148 billion sportfishing economy. The bill must clear the Senate before being sent to the President to be signed into law.
One of ASA’s top priorities within the ACE Reauthorization Act 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. The ACE Reauthorization Act extends NFHP and allows the recreational fishing community to keep building on our collective success.
ACE also reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Program which provides critical funding for conservation measures to reduce pollution and improve water quality in our nation’s largest estuary. These efforts directly improve habitat and fishing opportunities for keystone species such as striped bass in the lower Bay and brook trout in small, headwater streams in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Additionally, ACE protects the use of traditional fishing tackle by prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating lead-based fishing products through 2030.
Lastly, this bill also reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, which provides grants for public-private partnerships through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect, enhance, and preserve wetland ecosystems and habitats for fish and wildlife.
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