NAHB submitted written testimony during a House Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 21, the Ocean Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act. House Bill H.R. 21 calls for the federal government to develop a National Ocean Policy, and would require federal agencies to adopt regulations to comply with such policy within two years.

NAHB expressed concerns that the legislation is so broadly written that the impact on the activities of home builders, private landowners and other businesses “would be significant.” 

By linking land-based activities to the health of the ocean, it is likely that any type of permit application under the Endangered Species Act or Clean Water Act would be affected by the National Ocean Policy. In submitting comments for the record, NAHB said that this legislation “would likely become one of the broadest environmental statutes ever enacted. NAHB believes that this is a flawed bill, is unlikely to improve the health of oceans, will lead to decades of litigation, and would urge the Committee to reject it.”

For more information, e-mail J.P. Delmore or call him at 800-368-5242 x8412. [Return to top]