Representatives John F. Tierney of Salem and Barney Frank of Newton have said they are unhappy about Commerce Secretary nominee John E. Bryson’s long-ago links to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a group that has earned antipathy from fishermen for its efforts to beef up regulation.
“The one area of difference that I’ve had with some of the environmental organizations is that I think they’ve been reflexively antifishing. We have complained about unfair enforcement for a long time, and they’ve tended to dismiss it,’’ said Frank, who represents Fall River and New Bedford. “We were disappointed that they [nominated] this guy.’’
The two congressmen said they do not oppose Bryson outright, but they call his nomination “troubling,’’ a signal that the Cabinet nomination could become embroiled in the long-simmering acrimony between fishermen and federal regulators.
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