American Pilots’ Association Supports NOAA's Move to Adapt North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule

The American Pilots’ Association (APA) applauds the March 4, 2026 announcement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that, as part of ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve regulations, it is publishing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to consider deregulatory action to modify and modernize the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule (NARW VSR).  

In August 2022, NOAA proposed amendments to the current NARW VSR, which met immediate backlash from Congress and key parts of the maritime sector, including ports, merchant shipping, pilots, commercial/sport fishing, and recreational boating. These proposed changes would have amended the existing NARW VSR in ways that would have had the unintended consequences of negatively impacting (1) the navigational safety of large commercial vessels moving in confined and narrow offshore channels; (2) the safety of pilots and pilot boat crews; and (3) the efficiency and reliability of the maritime supply chain upon which our Nation relies. 

In addition to engaging in bipartisan efforts to educate Congressional members, in September 2022, APA offered detailed comments to NOAA on its VSR proposal, and in November 2023 APA provided comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The full text of these comments is available here and here, respectively. APA comments and the comments of others led the Biden Administration to withdraw the proposed 2022 amendments to the NARW VSR in late 2024. Comments on NOAA’s latest ANPRM are due by June 2, 2026.