Save Women's Sports + Overturning Chevron Doctrine is Good for Americans
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good morning,
Happy July! I’m traveling a bit this month and in August, so these dispatches might be more sporadic.
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Quick Thoughts
Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.
Season 3 of Luxury Hunting Lodges of America, hosted by Katie Pavlich, premieres tomorrow, July 2nd, on Fox Nation.
Flexible work arrangements can boost diminishing fertility rates, writes for ’s Liberty Market Matters Substack.
The nationwide Our Bodies, Our Sports tour ended last Friday after a whirlwind month on the road. Congrats to my IWF colleagues for planning and executing an amazing feat!
Hunters and gun owners don’t vote? Here’s why.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for the next dispatch later this week!
Overturning Chevron Doctrine Isn’t the End of the World
Goodbye, Chevron Doctrine. We hardly knew you…
Progressives and bureaucracy lovers decried Friday’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision, Loper Bright vs. Commerce, as a boon to corporations. How laughable.
Even People Magazine, notable celebrity news outlet, weighed in on the subject and decried the ruling as follows: “The "Chevron deference" has long been the backbone of how corporations are regulated. The new ruling strips federal agencies of their power to determine what's best for Americans.”
Does any reasonable person believe federal agencies are the best arbiters of what best for Americans? I don’t. Pew Research just published data that finds public trust in government remains at historic lows:
As of April 2024, 22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (21%). Last year, 16% said they trusted the government just about always or most of the time, which was among the lowest measures in nearly seven decades of polling.
How can one place that so much faith in the bureaucracy? You shouldn’t. But that’s me.
Critics of Friday’s decision say the ruling will lead to untold environmental damage and the exacerbation of the so-called “climate crisis.” After all, everything is about climate change these days. Blame your troubles and woes on it!
But in all seriousness, overturning Chevron Deference isn’t that controversial nor will it erode our rights. The opposite effect will be witnessed. Here’s analysis I wrote back in January for IWF:
The Chevron doctrine says “courts should defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous statute as long as that interpretation is reasonable.” The “two-step” process of reviewing agency statutes seeks to determine 1) if a statute in question is ambiguous and 2) if the ambiguous statute is reasonable.
In the 40 years since Chevron was decided, it’s invited government agencies to engage rulemaking that exceeds their authority since these powers are constitutionally prescribed to Congress. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote Chevron deference “has no constitutional basis,” undermines the Administrative Procedure Act, and potentially violates the Constitution’s Due Process Clause.
The Loper plaintiffs, a group of New Jersey fishermen, believe the Commerce Department is imposing unreasonable monitoring fees on them under the Magnuson Stevens Act of 1976 using this doctrine.As I noted here at IWF, the fishermen currently fork over 20% of their earnings to federal observers under the Chevron doctrine:
“There’s a funding scheme in place, the fishermen’s lawyers argue, that forces them to fork over about 20% of their pay to third-party National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries observers. Congress, however, has never mandated commercial fishermen to report to observers.”
They also argue the law National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries – or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) – can’t require federal observers aboard their vessels. The plaintiffs operate in the Atlantic herring fishery, which is not required by the MSA to pay observers. The law only requires observers in three narrow instances.
The executive branch - including federal agencies - lack the statutory authority to create regulations. That’s Congress’ job. West Virginia vs. EPA concluded this in summer 2022. Various appeals courts have dealt agencies that deal with energy and environmental issues a big blow —most recently with water usage regulation in household appliances. Now Chevron dealt a final blow to the entrenched federal bureaucracy.
This decision brings power back to the people. And we have commercial fishermen to thank for restoring freedom back to us.
I’ll toast to that!
Our Bodies, Our Sports - DC Stop
I attended the D.C. stop of the national Our Bodies, Our Sports bus tour - which concluded in Nashville on Friday. Here are some pictures from the event and related book party for Riley Gaines:
This particular stop coincided with the recent anniversary of Title IX being adopted into law.
Bravo to my IWF colleagues for planning such an amazing bus tour!
Scenes from the Week
I drove down to Richmond to partake in a surprise birthday party for my friend, Tiffany “Snookie” Risch, a renowned fishing influencer and fishing industry fixture. It was a humid, but lovely day on the water at Rockett’s Landing.
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I joined The Tony Kinnett Cast on WBIC 93.1 to break down Chevron Doctrine being overturned and why it’s a boon to conservation and the environment.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
Townhall: America Needs to Supercharge Nuclear Energy
IWF: FEMA Urged To Declare Wildfire Smoke, Excessive Heat ‘Major Disasters’
IWF: Denmark Imposes ‘Carbon Tax’ On Animal Flatulence
District of Conservation
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
And check out a new episode of The Sportswoman Show with Fish Untamed host Katie Burgert!
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—Gabriella