The revelations about corruption infesting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration get wider and more varied with each passing week.
So, it is a mystery why every member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation is not making every effort possible to rein in the federal fishing regulatory agency.
The latest example is an anonymous petition circulated among fishermen, asking them to sign on in support of the new "catch share" system of regulating the commercial fishery. That system divides the fishery into sectors that can be bought, sold or traded like commodities.
By design, it has concentrated the control of fisheries into larger, corporate hands, and out of the hands of smaller, independent fishermen. In pushing for catch shares, NOAA head Jane Lubchenco said her goal was to eliminate "a sizeable fraction" of the fishing fleet.
The petition was designed to make it look like there is grass-roots support for catch shares among those it is putting out of business — smaller fishermen. But, it turns out it was written at the behest of Mike Leary, a member of Sustainable Harvest in Maine, one of the biggest beneficiaries of catch shares. Leary is also an appointee to the New England Fishery Management Council, based here in Newburyport, which wrote the catch share rules.
Not only is that a blatant conflict of interest, but it intends to mislead. In political circles, a petition that fakes grass-roots support is known as "Astroturf." Fortunately, most fishermen have not fallen for it.
Still, that is only the latest in a series of outrages. NOAA, under the leadership of Lubchenco, has demonstrated time and again that it is not about confronting and dealing with misconduct and corruption. It is about protecting it. It is not about transparency. It is about covering things up. It is not about fairness — balancing the needs of an industry with those of the environment. And it is not about jobs. It is about pushing people out of work to further an extreme environmental agenda.
In short, it is a rogue agency that will continue on its current path unless Congress intervenes.
Such an effort is gaining steam in the House: an amendment to the federal budget that would cut off funding to introduce new catch share programs passed 259-159 on Feb. 19, with the support of 51 Democrats. That amendment was co-sponsored by Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, has said he will vote for the amendment when it reaches the Senate. But his colleague, Sen. John Kerry, won't commit, saying he is "conflicted," because there may be "no viable path for it to become law," suggesting either that the Senate will not pass it, or that if it does, Obama may veto it.
A statement from Kerry's office said he would keep working to "get the relief and results our guys deserve ... by any means that are necessary and viable."
That sounds good. But, so far, Kerry has been more about issuing statements than taking action. His statement did not specify anything he plans to do.
Until he does, he should sign on to this amendment, if only to get the attention of the president and Lubchenco. Obama promised that his administration would be the most transparent in history. Lubchenco promised to fix what she called a "dysfunctional" relationship between her agency and fishermen.
Neither are true about NOAA. In the past two years, the agency has not been transparent and is more dysfunctional than ever.
Congress needs to stop talking and act. Both Frank and Brown have realized that. Kerry should, too.
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