Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Sandra West
“The problem is that most U.S. volcanoes aren't monitored like SPUR. Fully implementing NVIEWS would fix this.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Sandra West
“Landslides. Good numbers on landslides are hard to come by. That's something the bill before you would actually help address. But even 20 years ago, annual costs were estimated above $2 billion. They affect nearly every state anywhere that there's steep terrain and heavy rainfall.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Speaker G
“11 Years ago, on March 22nd, 2014, Washington experienced one of our nation's worst natural disasters. In a matter of seconds, the side of a mountain, a tragic massive landslide near Oso, Washington, killed 43 people, destroyed an entire neighborhood of over 40 homes, and severely damaged public infrastructure and private property.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Sandra West
“The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, known as NEHRP, is one of the most successful pieces of hazards legislation ever, coming up on its 50th anniversary. It coordinates the efforts of 4 agencies: the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, FEMA, NIST.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Sandra West
“Just 3 states so far have the USGS's ShakeAlert system, which is capable of providing warning before shaking even starts. 4 Months ago, the USGS published a ShakeAlert plan for Alaska.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Stauber
“These bills would authorize important programs that help save lives and protect our communities, including the National Landslide Hazard Reduction Program, or NILHRP, the 3D Elevation Program, or 3DEP, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, or NEHRP, and the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System, NVIEWS.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Begich): Leg Hrg on the following bills · May 20, 2025
Hageman
“The bill at the heart of this hearing is sponsored by Representative Radawagan of American Samoa. Her bill states that within the boundaries of a marine national monument, fishing shall be regulated under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management act, not the Antiquities Act.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
William Gibbons-Fly
“China has long understood that engagement with the Pacific islands on oceans and fisheries issues is the single most important vector for establishing commercial and political ties. They have been expanding their influence across the Pacific by investing in shoreside facilities, building wharfs.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
William Gibbons-Fly
“Within two years of the expansion of the monument, one of the two canneries operating in American Samoa at the time closed, resulting in the loss of 800 jobs.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
William Gibbons-Fly
“Because these monuments are established under the Antiquities act, the process is exempt not only from the requirements of Magnus and Stevens, but also the requirements of the Administrative Procedures act, the National Environmental Policy act and other legislation, all of which are established by Congress to ensure fair, transparent and most importantly, science based decision making for the management of our nation's fisheries.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
Hageman
“By contrast, fishing in nearly all of the US EEZ is regulated under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and management Act. For 50 years, the act has propelled the United States to the forefront in terms of being the gold standard for fisheries management.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
William Gibbons-Fly
“In just the past few years, the US tuna purse seine fleet has been reduced from 34 vessels to just 15 vessels operating today. The remaining vessels supply most of the tuna being processed in American Samoa and otherwise support the local economy there.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
William Gibbons-Fly
“When you're banning commercial fishing from 50 to 200 miles, there's very, you're, you're putting, you know, very significant strain on the fishing industry, putting people out of business, harming the economy of American Samoa with very little, very little conservation benefit.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
Kyle Huffman
“While I'm open to finding solutions to sea otter management in particular regions, this bill inappropriately shifts the response responsibility to subsistence harvest and disadvantages Alaska Native artisans who carefully process pelts into arts and handicrafts. The bill also circumvents the Indigenous Peoples Council for Marine Mammals.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jun 3, 2026
Dustin Delano
“The weak links in our ropes can snap under tension, sometimes in our faces, creating serious safety risks.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“And we've also seen uncertainty in our weather forecasts, which for us represents danger on the daily. So we're making big decisions on whether we want to go out in 10 foot seas in a 22 foot skiff or not. And we need to know what the weather's going to do and we need that to be accurate.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“It adds uncertainty in a way that can both lead us into a fisheries disaster we don't see coming or leave fish in the water that we could have otherwise safely harvested.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Rick Bellavance
“Anytime there's a compromise to the quality of the data that we use to make those decisions or the personnel that we need to promulgate those regulations, publish them in the Federal Register and so on, it's just more difficult for us to do our job.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“NOAA's budget underpins virtually every part of the US seafood supply supply chain. Cuts aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are delayed surveys, outdated stock assessments, long waits for permits, loans and disaster relief, weakened enforcement and failure to modernize. Without timely science and vigorous oversight, we can't make good decisions and we risk losing one of the last wild protein industries on earth.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Hageman
“In April, he signed an executive order titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, which is intended to reduce regulatory burdens and restrictions to ensure that the American fishing industry can thrive. President Trump's executive order directed the Secretary of Commerce to work with the eight regional fishery management councils to make the necessary changes to reduce regulatory burdens to adopt new technologies to improve management and work with stakeholders across this community.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“we must have the best available science, but not only that, we must be consistent improving it and improving the science that we are relying on for our decision making.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Dustin Delano
“I can't preach enough. The need for better data collection and collaboration between scientists and fishermen. I think that's extremely important.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Dustin Delano
“I believe, you know, some of this has been mentioned, that it's important that we continue the work that needs to be done to assure that fisheries are permitted, and that is through surveys that are existing and continuing those time series. It's important to have the funding to do that.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Brock Hunter
“Alaska Seafood is struggling to compete against non market economies like China and Russia. The Russians are massively subsidizing new fishing fleets. They even require their fishing companies to buy these new vessels if they want quota. As a result, the Russian pollock harvest has increased from 1.75 million tons to 2.46 million tons since2021 while the US harvest level remains steady and sustainable.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Rick Bellavance
“Cancelled or scaled back stock assessments threaten economically important fisheries like groundfish, monkfish, and scallops in New England. Proposed cuts could further erode NOAA's ability to provide critical science for management decisions.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Rick Bellavance
“NOAA budget cuts and staffing reductions have hindered fish surveys, stock assessments, and have resulted in prolonged delays in the publications of regulations that allow fishermen to fish.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Speaker B
“Fishing communities in my state and many fishing communities around the country have been thrown into chaos due to these DOGE cuts. You're not going to make our seafood industry more competitive by firing staff at noaa, canceling research, banning NOAA staff from traveling to meetings with or by instigating trade wars with erratic and unstrategic tariff policies. Over one third of the NOAA fisheries positions are now vacant. Fishery science centers across the country are bleeding talent and key NOAA fisheries staff have been fired.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“But without a fully resourced noaa, these investments won't reach our decks, your dinner plates, or the American economy.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Speaker A
“As the NTSB Chairwoman Hammoudi said in her letter to urge this committee dated 2 days ago, May 20th, She reinstated the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to address critical rail safety issues, which are included in my bipartisan rail safety amendment before us today.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“since 2024, the NTSB has been on the scene of 53 rail accidents and incidents that resulted in 17 fatalities and 10 injuries. 27 Investigations are worker-related. In fact, listen, the NTSB has increased its number of rail investigations each year by 33% in 2025 over that of 2024. In 2025 alone— this is a big number, folks— 2025 alone, There was a total of 9,836 rail accidents and incidents, of which there were 969 fatalities and 6,291 injuries.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“The Railway Safety Act protects rail workers and communities that railroads travel through, requires the placement of wayside defect detectors, strengthens penalties on railroads for safety violations, and removes older, dangerous tank cars from service sooner.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“In just one year, 22,543 hazardous material incidents on highways and only 297 freight rail hazmat incidents. But let's get that 297 down to zero.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“a key piece of this amendment is the two-man crew mandate. I find it absolutely fascinating that in a world where we have autonomous vehicles, no driver, autonomous trucks with no driver, we have aircraft with no pilot, and here it is, we have the only mode of transportation operating on a rail, and we say we got to have two individuals in the cab to, uh, to prevent something. The fact is there were 3 people in the cab in East Palestine.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“Our committee has an opportunity today to deliver on President Trump's call for stronger rail safety protections and to ensure that the tragedy we witnessed in East Palestine, Ohio, never happens again.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“while the large railroads are attempting to find any avenue they can to skew the message on my amendment. Two-person crews are already the standard across all major railroads in America. There is $0 impact to their expenses and $0 impact to their bottom line.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“Since the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023, nearly 3.5 years ago, this committee has not considered rail safety legislation until today.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“the use of automated track inspection technologies, which have the capability to identify hundreds of defects compared to visual inspections, Make it possible for railroads to prioritize track maintenance and to deploy their maintenance and repair personnel more efficiently, often resulting in more maintenance job and work for employees, and most importantly, more safety.”House: H.R. 8870, Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act); and other matters cleared for consideration · May 21, 2026
Speaker A
“Between fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2024, federal agencies like the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service paid an estimated $24.8 million in Equal Access to Justice Act awards, with roughly 76% of that going to environmental nonprofits instead of forest management or energy development projects. Likewise, Endangered Species Act fee-shifting payments totaled more than $20.2 million over the last 5 years.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Begich): Oversight Hearing titled “The Profit Engine Driving Environmental Nonprofits.” · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“some courts use the "Lodestar" method, allowing nonprofit lawyers to set their own reasonable hourly rates and billable hours. These figures are usually just rubber-stamped by the courts because they spend time Because time spent by the Department of Justice contesting fee awards is added to a nonprofit group's ultimate windfall.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Begich): Oversight Hearing titled “The Profit Engine Driving Environmental Nonprofits.” · May 20, 2026
Speaker B
“The Equal Access to Justice Act, is primarily utilized by seniors and veterans.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Begich): Oversight Hearing titled “The Profit Engine Driving Environmental Nonprofits.” · May 20, 2026