McConnell's "Freedom to Fish" Signed Into Law

Press Release

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's "Freedom to Fish" provision was signed into law today by the President. The measure is included in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), which passed the Senate and House in May.

The provision, which was secured by Senator McConnell, institutes a "permanent ban" on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' ability to enforce any attempt to restrict public access to fish the tailwaters of the Barkley and Wolf Creek Dams in Kentucky -- some of the most popular fishing areas in the state - by giving states the ability to determine how best to regulate public access to these areas. The language also prohibits the Army Corps from ever constructing physical barriers to these public areas or even attempting to implement any kind of a restricted area using signs in the Cumberland River basin for four years following enactment of WRRDA.

"This is outstanding news for the thousands of Kentuckians and fishing enthusiasts from far away who have enjoyed the pleasure of fishing the tailwaters below Lake Barkley and Wolf Creek dams along the Cumberland River," Senator McConnell said. "My measure will permanently prevent the Obama Administration from blocking fishing access to the area, which would have hurt tourism in the area and depressed the local economy."

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