Description:
S. 2369 would amend the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to set catch limits for subsistence whaling by Alaska Natives in any year for which the Secretary determines that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has not adopted such limits. To ensure sustainability of the whale population, any catch limit would be set on the basis of the IWC’s most recent stock assessment. The bill also would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue regulations for implementing the bill.
According to NOAA, the bill would mostly codify current policies and practices for the process of setting limits on subsistence whaling. Therefore, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2369 would have no significant effect on federal spending.
Enacting S. 2369 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 2369 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
S. 2369 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
