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(Select the following to go to:) http://www.amrivers.org/policynew.html
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DEADLINE EXTENDED! One More Week to Sign On for Increased Funding for Rivers
American Rivers has extended the deadline for signing on to the River Budget for FY 01 through September 25, 1999. To support increased federal funding for important river-related programs, please review the document online at
To sign on, email Suzy McDowell at smcdowell@amrivers.org or call toll free 1-877-347-7550 x3040. To sign on, you must represent an organization, group, or other affiliation.
Trouble With Funding Bills:
With the start of fiscal year 2000 rapidly approaching, Members of Congress are struggling to find a solution to the budget dilemma created by the 1997 budget caps. With just a few weeks to go before the October 1 deadline, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) conceded last week that the budget caps would have to be breached. How that will be done has not been resolved.
Senate Debate on Interior Funding Continues:
The Senate hopes to finish floor debate on the funding bill for FY 00 for the Department of Interior and related agencies this week. The Interior funding measure, S. 1292, would provide $13.924 billion in discretionary spending for the agencies covered by the bill and includes a number of environmental riders. Because of the riders and the low level of funding for some of the programs included in the Administration s FY 00 funding request, President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill. The only remaining issue is whether to cut off debate on an oil valuation amendment. If the Senate invokes cloture (to end the filibuster), work on the bill will be completed.
If not for the oil valuation amendment, the Senate would have finished work on the Interior funding bill last week. Senator Barbara Boxer s (D-CA) filibuster has stymied efforts by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) to get approval for her amendment, which would continue a freeze on the Clinton Administration s effort to adjust how royalties for oil produced on federal lands are assessed. Senator Hutchison will need 60 votes to cut off Senator Boxer s filibuster.
On September 14, the Senate rejected by a 54-43 vote an amendment to shift $33 million from the Forest Service s logging and timber road budget to other programs. The amendment would have provided $10 million for wildlife surveys, $13 million for Forest Service road maintenance and fish and wildlife programs, and $10 million for debt reduction.
The Senate also adopted several packages of amendments last week, including $1.5 million for urban parks, $200,000 for a review of possible other alternatives to the Weber Dam on the Walker River Paiute Reservation in Nevada, and Senator Frank Murkowski s (R-AK) provision to add $20 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund state grants program. Senator Murkowski said he would seek to boost the LWCF state grant funding to the $30 million provided by the House when the bill goes to conference.
Among the environmental riders considered objectionable are provisions to permanently bar the Department of Interior from using appropriated funds to study decommissioning of the Glen Canyon Dam or the draining of Lake Powell; to allow the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to bypass sensitive species survey requirements before making management decisions on timber sales; to allow the renewal of grazing permits without environmental review; to allow mining companies to dump waste across unlimited acres of public lands by permanently overriding the 1872 Mining Law's five-acre millsite limitation per hardrock mining claim; to prevent the Interior Secretary from stopping lead mining in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri that threatens two National and Scenic Waterways; to bar the use of funds from the bill for development of a resource management plan for timber sales in the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois; to deny funds for grizzly bear reintroduction into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho and Montana for FY 00; and to provide over $11 million to prepare additional timber sales in the Tongass National Forest that would insure a 3 year supply.
Energy and Water Conference on Hold:
The Senate-House conference on the FY 00 Energy and Water Appropriations bill is still on hold. Appropriations Committee leaders from both houses are trying to resolve differences over the total funding level for the bill.
House contacts are Jim Ogsbury (majority), 202-225-3421 or Sally Chadbourne (minority), 202-225-3481. Senate contacts are Alex Flint (majority), 202-224-7260 or Greg Daines (minority), 202-224-0335.
VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Funding Bill on the Move:
The Senate plans to bring to the floor its funding measure for VA-HUD-Independent Agencies FY 00 on Wednesday, but has not yet set a specific time for the markup. Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill, which would provide the Environmental Protection Agency with $7.3 billion, cutting the agency s budget by $268 million from FY 99.
The Senate bill provides EPA with $116 million more than President Clinton requested for FY 00 and differs from the Administration s EPA priorities.
The Senate bill refused to provide money requested for new programs, instead restoring money that would have been cut from the clean water state revolving loan funds and giving preference to state grant programs.
Senate Appropriations contacts are Carolyn Apostolou (majority), 202-224-7211 and Paul Craliner (minority), 202-224-7231.
Agriculture Funding for FY 00 May Move:
Members of the House-Senate conference on funding for Agriculture-Rural Agencies for FY 00 will meet on Tuesday. The two bills are H.R. 1906 and S.
1233. President Clinton has criticized both bills for their low levels of funding for conservation initiatives.
House Appropriations contacts are Martin Delgado, majority, 202-225-2638 and David Reich, minority, 202-225-3481. Senate Appropriations contacts are Rebecca Davies, majority, 202-224-7219 and Galen Fountain, minority, 202-224-7202.
The conference is set for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21 in H-140 of the Capitol building.
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House to Debate Coastal and Marine Reauthorization:
On Tuesday, the House will consider bills to reauthorize the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, along with a number of other natural resources bills. H.R. 1431, the Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act, would reauthorize the act for five years and allow private landowners to donate ecologically significant property to the system. The purpose of the Coastal Barrier Resources System is to discourage development of barrier islands by prohibiting federal aid including flood insurance for property within the system. The reauthorization bill would also direct the US Fish and Wildlife Service to study the cost and feasibility of digitizing maps for the system and study how the system has affected coastal barriers.
H.R. 1243, the National Marine Sanctuaries Enhancement Act, would reauthorize the National Marine Sanctuaries Act for five years at $29 million, or which $3 million is earmarked for construction. The bill would also prohibit the addition of new sanctuaries to the 12-unit system until the existing units were fully funded.
Representatives will also consider a number of other bills during floor action on Tuesday. H.R. 1231 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey a small parcel of land on US Forest Service land to Elko County, Nevada. H.R. 468 would authorize the Forest Service to purchase most of Saint Helena Island from two families and add the property to the Hiawatha National Forest. H.R. 2079 would allow the Forest Service to sell approximately 40 acres of land from the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota to a ski resort.
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Seeking Nominations for Most Endangered Rivers of 2000:
American Rivers accepting nominations for America s Most Endangered Rivers of 2000. Every year, we work closely with grassroots organizations across the country to identify the rivers included in the report. By drawing national attention to the rivers on the list, the report sends a powerful wake up call to mobilize the public and key decision makers to take significant action before it is too late.
If your local river is one of the many facing a significant threat, America s Most Endangered Rivers of 2000 holds the promise of providing it with a much-needed spotlight to bring local, regional, and national attention to its plight and what must be done to protect or restore it. To nominate a river, please complete the enclosed nomination package found on the American Rivers webpage at
http://www.amrivers.org/endanger.html
and return it to Suzy McDowell, Conservation Outreach Coordinator at American Rivers. All nominations must be postmarked no later than October 11, 1999.If you have any questions, contact Suzy McDowell at 202-347-7550 x3040 or smcdowell@amrivers.org
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Garrison Project Re-emerges in Senate:
On Wednesday, the Senate Energy Committee will mark up a number of water project bills, including a bill to expand the controversial Garrison Diversion project in North Dakota. S. 623, reintroduced by Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND), would expand the Garrison project to include a $770 million drinking water system for the Red River Valley, eastern North Dakota, and the state s four Indian reservations.
The Garrison project has been the source of controversy among farmers and other residents of North Dakota for decades. For more information on the project and its history, see
(Select the following to go to:) http://www.amrivers.org/policy5-24.html
S. 623, and companion legislation introduced in the House by Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) (H.R. 1137), would authorize construction $300 million for municipal and industrial water supply projects across the state and $200 million for similar projects on the four Indian reservations within the state, $25 million for a natural resources trust fund, and $6.5 million for recreation projects. In addition, the bill would provide $200 million for water quality and quantity projects to meet the needs of the Red River Valley, possibly including an interbasin water transfer from the Missouri River. North Dakota would repay $345 million of the project cost, and $500 million worth of already-authorized projects would be deauthorized.
Senator Dorgan is expected to offer a package of amendments to reflect an agreement made with the Clinton Administration. The agreement includes cutting the cost of the project by $100 million and strengthening the bill s environmental requirements.
Other bills on the schedule for the committee on Wednesday include:
S. 624 to provide drinking water to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, where the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes do not have a source of potable water; S. 1211 to increase the authorized ceiling for the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program from $75 million to $174 million a year; S. 1377 to amend the Central Utah Project Completion Act to permit the use of savings achieved in certain areas to be spent on other projects and programs as needed; S. 986 to direct the Bureau of Land Management to convey the Robert Griffith Water Project to the Southern Nevada Water Authority; S. 1288 to allow the US Forest Service to make grants to encourage collaborative forest restoration projects in national forests and other public lands in New Mexico; S. 1030 to ensure a trade involving Bureau of Land Management property in Campbell and Johnson counties in Wyoming would not result in mining being prohibited on the land; S. 1349 to authorize the National Park Service to study nine areas for possible inclusion in the national park system.
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The following bills could be brought up on the Senate floor at any time:
H.R. 15 to designate a portion of the Otay Mountain region of California as wilderness.
S. 109 to allow the National Park Service to buy land within a 2,000-foot corridor on either side of the Chattahoochee River to improve protection and management of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia.
S. 244 to authorize the construction of the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System.
S. 441 to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the War of 1812 British invasion of Maryland and Washington DC, and the route of American defense, for study of potential inclusion in the system.
S. 501 to require the National Park Service to continue to allow subsistence fishing and gathering and commercial marine fishing in regulated areas in Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska.
S. 711 to allow for the investment of joint federal and state funds from the civil settlement of damages from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
S. 744 to grant up to 500,000 acres of federal land 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 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 to a local ski operation.
S. 1088 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey approximately 300 acres to the city of Sedona, Arizona, for a sewage disposal system.
S. 1100 to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that the designation of critical habitat for endangered and threatened species be required as part of the development and recovery process. (For more information, see
(Select the following to go to:) http://www.amrivers.org/policy5-31.html).
To view the bills, visit the Thomas website at
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Sept 21, 2 p.m.: House Resources Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee hearing on how the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service have executed the 1994 Pacific Northwest Forest Plan s survey and manage requirements. Location: 1334 Longworth House Office Building.
Sept. 21, 6 p.m.: House-Senate conference on FY 00 funding for Agriculture-Rural Agencies. Location: H-140 Capitol Building.
Sept 22, 9:30 a.m.: Senate Energy Committee markup of several water project bills, including a bill to expand the Garrison Diversion project in North Dakota.
Sept 22, 10 a.m.: House Commerce Finance and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee hearing on improving superfund liability and remedy selection provisions in H.R. 1300, a superfund reform bill. Location: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
Sept. 22, 10 a.m.: House Transportation Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee hearing on the role of the Tennessee Valley Authority in a competitive electricity marketplace.
Sept 22, 11 a.m.: House Resources Committee mark up of legislation to grant several concessions to the Chugach Alaska Corp. (H.R. 2547, expand the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia (H.R. 2140), add another 12 miles to the portion of the Lamprey River in New Hampshire protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (H.R. 1615), and make it easier for seven Oklahoma Indian tribes to lease their lands for oil and gas exploration (S. 944). Location: 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
Sept. 23, 10 a.m.: House Resources Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans Subcommittee hearing on Representative Wayne Gilchrest s (D-MD) bill to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and other coastal estuaries (postponed from last Thursday due to Hurricane Floyd). Location: 1334 Longworth House Office Building.
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American Rivers, 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005, (202) 347-7550
CHECK OUT OUR HOMEPAGE!!
http://www.amrivers.org
QUESTIONS? Contact Suzy McDowell, Conservation Outreach Coordinator, at smcdowell@amrivers.org or 202-347-7550x3040.Legislative information taken from many sources including Thomas, Congressional Greensheets, Greenwire, and Roll Call.
Suzy McDowell Outreach Coordinator American Rivers 1025 Vermont Ave, NW, #720 Washington, DC 20005 202-347-7550 x3040 smcdowell@amrivers.org
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