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The House may take up H.R. 2466, the FY'00 funding bill for the Department of Interior and related agencies, as early as Tuesday, July 13. The House Appropriations Committee approved the $14.1 billion bill on July 1. The measure is $200 million below the current funding level and almost $1 billion below the Clinton Administration's request of $15.048 billion. The main concern regarding the bill by the Administration was the fact that it failed to fund major portions of the President's Lands Legacy Initiative, a $1 billion proposal to expand federal protection of critical habitat nationwide, help states and localities preserve open space, and strengthen protections for oceans and coastal areas. The House bill includes across-the-board reductions in funding for agency land acquisition through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). H.R. 2466 would provide $165 million in LWCF expenditures for the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service, compared to the Administration's request of $413 million and current spending of $328 million.
The House Appropriations Committee appropriated $114 million from the budgets of four agencies for the South Florida Restoration Initiative aimed at restoring the Everglades. The outlay of the money hinges on the signing of a binding agreement among parties involved in the Everglades restoration effort for a guaranteed water supply to help plants, wildlife, and the marine environment. The Clinton Administration's plan for restoring the ecosystem is a $7.8 billion effort scheduled to last twenty years.
Below is a breakdown of funding for the agencies covered H.R. 2466 and select programs:
Bureau of Land Management: $1.216 billion total; $156 million for land resources; $35 million for wildlife habitat and fisheries; $19 million for threatened and endangered species; $51 million for recreation management; $34 million for resource protection and maintenance.
US Fish and Wildlife Service: $840 million total; $188 million for fish, wildlife/ecological services; $15 million for the North American wetlands conservation fund.
National Park Service: $1.721 billion total; $45 million for national recreation and preservation; no appropriation for conservation grants and planning assistance (Clinton Administration had requested $200 million).
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement: $196 million for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund.
US Forest Service: $2.644 billion total; $104 million for wildlife and fisheries habitat management.
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Although chances are good that consideration of health care legislation will consume much of the Senate's time this week, the Senate hopes to begin floor discussion of S. 1233, the FY'00 appropriations bill for agriculture, rural development, and the Food and Drug Administration. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the $60.7 billion bill on June 17. The measure includes just $14 billion in discretionary funds. Funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service will remain more or less even with current appropriations. The Agriculture Research Service would receive $811 million, below the Clinton Administration request by $26 million. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program, would get only $174 million, just over half of the Administration's $300 million request. The Appropriations Committee approved $474 million for the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, $5 million more than the Administration's request. The bill also includes $10 million for watershed surveys and planning, $99 million (in addition to the $95 million from the recent emergency supplemental appropriations bill) for watershed and flood prevention operations, and $35 million for resources conservation and development.
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This week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water hopes to take up the $19.4 billion funding bill for energy and water for FY'00.
The $19.4 billion allocation level is $2.3 billion below the appropriated amount approved by the Senate in June and $2.5 billion below the Clinton Administration's request. The Senate bill would provide no funds for projects authorized by the water resources development authorization, S. 507/S. Rpt. 106-34.
The markup is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, July 15.
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Measures aimed at stopping the declining numbers of highly migratory fish in the Atlantic and the concerns of fishermen will be the focus of a hearing by the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans. Last month, the National Marine Fisheries Service released a final rule on plans to protect five species of tuna, Atlantic swordfish, and 72 species of sharks and billfish. The rule would limit recreational catches of these fish and reduce bycatch by temporarily closing certain areas to fishing, changing fishing gear, limiting access, and public education.
The hearing is set for 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, in 1334 Longworth House Office Building.
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Trout Unlimited has released a new report that predicts wild Snake River salmon could be extinct by 2017 unless steps are taken soon to stop the declining population levels. The peer-reviewed study was conducted by Dr.
Philip Mundy, a widely published expert on Snake River salmon. Dr. Mundy developed the extinction model based on counts of salmon on spawning grounds, cited as the most reliable data available on salmon population trends. The salmon spawning ground counts have been conducted annually by biologists with the Idaho Department of Game and Fish on Snake River tributaries for approximately 30 years.
The new study does not address means for reversing the current declines towards extinction, but a growing majority of scientists are pointing to partial dam removal as the best chance for Snake River salmon. The Idaho chapter of the American Fisheries Society recently endorsed dam removal as the best recovery option. In March more than 200 scientists sent a letter to President Clinton calling for restoring a free-flowing Snake River. The scientists of the PATH team, tasked with providing biological information to the Lower Snake Draft EIS, have consistently found that partial dam removal is far more likely than fish barging to lead to recovery. The recent "A-Fish Appendix" released by the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded that partial dam removal has the highest likelihood of success and that delaying actions has significant extinction risks.
The new report by Trout Unlimited is available online at
House Resources Committee to Discuss World Conference on Endangered Species:
On Tuesday, the House Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the development of the US agenda for a world conference on endangered species to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, next April. Administration officials are also looking through proposals made by environmental organizations and other groups. Based on study and public comment, the US will begin in November to put together proposals for submission to the 11th Conference of Parties to the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The Department of Interior has also planned a public hearing for July 28.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m. in 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
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Coastal Habitats Focus of House Subcommittee Hearing:
The House Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will review a number of bills aimed at protecting, preserving, or restoring the nation's estuaries. Many lawmakers are concerned about the fate of estuaries, given the fact that an estimated 100 million people live within coastal areas, and the number is expected to jump to 127 million by 2010. As a result, estuaries are being stressed and overburdened by population, pollution, development, and roads and are disappearing far to quickly.
The subcommittee will discuss five proposals at Tuesday's hearing. H.R.
1775, the Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act, sponsored by Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), seeks to restore 1 million acres of estuaries over the next decade and improve coordination of federal and non-federal restoration programs (funding level of $315 million over five years in matching grants). H.R. 1327, an amendment to the Clean Water Act sponsored by Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ), would require that grants made under the National Estuary Program be used to develop estuary conservation and management plans. The Water Pollution Control and Estuary Restoration Act (H.R. 1096), sponsored by Representative Nita Lowey (R-NY), would amend the Clean Water Act to provide states with special funding for implementation of national estuary conservation and management plans. The Long Island Sound Preservation and Protection Act (H.R. 855), sponsored by Representative Michael Forbes (R-NY), would amend regulations for dumping dredged materials in the Long Island Sound. The Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement Act of 1999 (H.R. 673), introduced by Peter Deutsch (D-FL), would authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grant money to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority and other state and local agencies for improvements to water quality throughout the regional marine ecosystem.
The hearing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.
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S. 416: To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the city of Sisters, Oregon, a certain parcel of land for use in connection with a sewage treatment facility.
S. 766: To authorize the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study for the preservation of the Loess Hills in western Iowa.
S. 3223: The Black Canyon National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act.
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H.R. 468: To establish the Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area in Lake Michigan.
H.R. 535: To change the boundaries of the coastal barriers resources system in Delaware.
H.R. 1152: Reauthorization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ocean research programs for FY'00 and FY'01.
H.R. 1934: To aid efforts to save marine mammals stranded on American shores.
H.R. 2181: To authorize NOAA to acquire and equip six new fisheries research vessels over the next six years.
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The following bills may come up for floor action in the Senate at any time:
S. 109: to improve protection and management of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia.
S. 501: To require the National Park Service to continue to allow subsistence fishing and gathering and commercial marine fishing regulated by the state in Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska.
S. 734: National Discovery Trails Act of 1999 to create a new category of trail and authorize the 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail as the first in the new category.
S. 744: To convey 250,000 acres of federal lands in Alaska to the University of Alaska.
S. 762: To direct the Secretary of Interior to conduct a feasibility study on the inclusion of the Miami Circle in Biscayne National Park.
S. 938: To eliminate restrictions on the acquisition of certain land contiguous to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
S. 953: To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 41 acres of Forest Service land in the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota to the Terry Peak Ski Area.
S. 1088: To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or trade approximately 300 acres to the city of Sedona, Arizona, so the city can build a sewage disposal system.
S. 1287: Nuclear Waste Policy Act Amendments.
H.R. 15: To designate a portion of the Otay Mountain region of California as wilderness.
Tuesday, July 13 10:00 a.m.:
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands hearing on H.R. 1695 to direct the Bureau of Land Management to sell 6,650 acres to the Clark County, Nevada, aviation department to build the Ivanpah Valley Airport and H.R. 1725 to direct the Forest Service to convey 28.5 acres to Douglas County, Oregon, for use as a county park. Location: 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
1:00 p.m.: House Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing on five estuary bills. Location: 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.
2:00 p.m.: House Resources Committee hearing on US preparations for next April's world conference on endangered species. Location: 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
2:30 p.m.: Senate Energy Subcommittee on Forest and Public Lands Management hearing on two Nevada lands bills - S. 1329 to require the Bureau of Land Management to convey 450 acres to Nye County for a science museum and S.
1330 to allow the city of Mesquite, Nevada, to acquire up to 7,690 acres of public land to provide for urban and economic growth and development of a new commercial airport. Location: 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Thursday, July 15 9:30 a.m.: Senate Energy Committee hearing on electricity deregulation.
Location: 216 Hart Senate Office Building.
10:00 a.m.: House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans hearing on migratory fish limits. Location: 1334 Longworth House Office Building.
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Legislative information taken from many sources including Thomas, Congressional Greensheets, Greenwire, and Roll Call.
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