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CAPITOL FLYER
Monday August 1,
2005
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Capitol
Flyer is intended to keep you abreast of the latest developments
in Washington affecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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Table of Contents:
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Congress
Approves FY 2006 Interior Appropriations
The
Congress on July 29 cleared for the president's signature a $26.2
billion Interior-Environment spending bill, the first fiscal 2006
appropriations bill sent to the White House. The bill includes funding
for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) National Wildlife
Refuge System.
The
bill approved the operations and maintenance (O&M) account for the
Refuge System at $393,394,000. This funding level is $500,000 less
than the administration's request and $1 million less than the House-passed
bill. The FY 2006 Refuge O&M funding level represents a $9.1 million
increase over last year. However, the Interior Appropriations bill
also included an across-the-board cut of 0.476% to all programs.
As a result, the total Refuge System O&M funding level is approximately
$391,521,000.
For
the first time, the $393,394,000 for refuge system operations and
maintenance is broken down into five separate accounts by the FWS:
-
Wildlife and Habitat: $140,798,000
-
Visitor Services: $63,634,000
-
Law Enforcement: $27,780,000
- Conservation
Planning: $13,504,000
-
Maintenance: $137,687,000
Of
particular interest for the NWRA and Friends groups, there is language
appropriating $1 million "for cooperative projects with [F]riends
groups on invasive species control." This allocation is a result
of the successful Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program - a partnership
among the NWRA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy
and U.S. Geological Survey - and efforts by Friends groups who communicated
with their elected representatives to request invasive species funding
projects.
Unfortunately,
the $150,000 included by the House in the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) budget for invasive species database coordination with the
FWS was removed in conference. This funding was requested by the
NWRA to enable the USGS to integrate a number of different databases
used by the FWS. Currently, information in the various FWS databases
cannot be merged.
The
final conference report also cut $7.6 million from the Secretary
of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Initiative (CCI) and
was reallocated mostly to base funding needs including:
-
$1,100,000 to restore the base budget for general operations;
- $2
million to continue "minimum staffing" implementation using an
updated refuge operating needs system (RONS);
- $600,000
to restore the base operations program under Visitor Services;
and
- $1
million to the Visitor Facilities Enhancement program which had
been cut in the administration's request.
An
additional $5 million was provided in the construction account for
visitor contact facilities system-wide.
The
conference report also includes language on specific refuge issues:
- Concerns
are raised about the white pelican population at Chase Lake National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in North Dakota; the FWS must report back
to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations by October
1, 2005, on the causes of nest abandonment and deaths.
- In
FY 2006 and beyond, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
will share costs associated with the Midway Atoll NWR airfield.
The FWS will pay an appropriate share of the indirect costs in
addition to paying ongoing refuge operations costs. The total
costs to the FWS for all Midway operations are expected to be
$4.3 million in FY 2006.
- $500,000
is included for an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the
proposed Yukon Flats land exchange between Doyon Ltd. and the
FWS at the Yukon Flats NWR in Alaska.
The
conference report provides $68.5 million for State and Tribal wildlife
grants. These grants are an important tool for addressing wildlife
conservation on a statewide basis and compliment wildlife refuge
objectives. The NWRA recommended that State and Tribal wildlife
grants be funded at $85 million.
The
conference report provides $45,891,000 for construction. This is
$4.7 million more than the House mark and $14.1 million more than
the Senate mark. The report also provides $28,408,000 for land acquisition,
an increase of $13.5 million over the House recommendation and a
decrease of $12.4 million from the Senate recommendation.
If
you would like further information or have questions on the FY06
budget or appropriations, please contact Michael Woodbridge, Assistant
Director of Government Affairs, at mwoodbridge@refugenet.org
or 202.333.9073.
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to table of contents)
Transportation Bill Passed
After
prolonged consideration, Congress finally passed the Transportation
bill on July 29 with strong support. The conference to reconcile
vast differences between the House and Senate version of the bill
took eleven extensions and significantly more time than expected
to come to consensus. Both political parties have hailed the bill
a success and the same can be said for sections of the bill specific
to refuges.
The
Refuge Roads program was allocated $29 million for the maintenance
and upkeep of roads on national wildlife refuges. Originally, the
Senate version called for $29 million, while the House version allocated
$20 million. However, as a result of FWS efforts to educate members
of Congress and lobbying by the NWRA and Cooperative Alliance for
Refuge Enhancement, the Senate figure was adopted in the final bill.
Although
the Refuge System continues to face a backlog of more than $2 billion
for transportation needs, getting the full $29 million is a victory
for the Refuge System. The $29 million is also a considerable increase
over the past Refuge Roads funding level of $17 million.
In
addition to Refuge Roads, the Transportation bill also allocates
$20.2 million for specific refuge projects across the country.
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New
FWS Director Nominated
Dale
Hall has been nominated by President Bush to serve as Director of
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nomination is subject to
Senate approval and no opposition is expected.
A career
Fish and Wildlife Service employee, Hall currently serves as the
FWS Regional Director for the southwest region (Region 2) that includes
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Previously Hall was a
Deputy Regional Director in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as an Assistant
Regional Director in Portland, Oregon. Hall's career started in
1978 in the ecological services division of FWS. He also supervised
the FWS office in Texas for four years. For his dedication to the
FWS through years of service, he was honored with the Department
of the Interior's Meritorious Service Award.
Hall
is originally from Harlan, Kentucky. He is a former member of the
U.S. Air Force and served in the Philippines and Italy during his
tour of duty. He is a graduate of Cumberland College and holds a
master's degree from Louisiana State University in fisheries science.
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Congress
Approves Energy Bill
Shortly
before the start of the August Congressional recess, the House and
Senate passed a 1,700-page comprehensive energy bill (H.R. 6) that
now awaits the president's signature.
The
legislation includes tax incentives aimed at boosting domestic supplies
of conventional and alternative fuel sources as well as reducing
energy demands. Critics say the bill is a corporate giveaway that
falls far short of shifting the country away from foreign oil and
unsustainable fossil fuels.
Unlike
earlier versions that stalled in the Senate, this year's bill was
the product of bipartisan negotiations. Republicans this time dropped
two of the most contentious provisions of earlier bills: allowing
the Interior Department to lease a portion of the Arctic Refuge
for oil and gas drilling and shielding manufacturers of the fuel
additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from most product liability
suits associated with groundwater contamination.
However,
Republican Congressional leaders intend to push the Arctic drilling
proposal in the budget "reconciliation" legislation after the August
recess. Shortly after the energy bill passed, Senator Lisa Murkowski
(R-AK) vowed to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil
drilling. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) said he expects the Arctic
drilling issue to resurface in September, when Republicans begin
moving a budget reconciliation package that will call on Congress
to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
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Draft
EIS Released for National Elk Refuge
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week, in partnership with the
U.S. Park Service, released a draft bison/elk management plan and
environmental impact statement. The plan analyzes bison management
in combination with the refuge's long-standing winter feeding program.
The
National Elk Refuge was established in 1912 to provide wintering
habitat for approximately half of the nearly 14,000 elk in the Jackson
elk herd. A winter feeding program for the elk has been in place
since 1910. Bison, after being re-introduced to the area, have also
joined the feeding program. For 90-plus years, the elk and bison
have enjoyed a steady source of food throughout the winter months.
However, with the growing population comes increased competition
between elk, bison and other wildlife, increased risk of habitat
degradation, disease transmission and property damage.
Of
the six recommendations made by the report, almost all call for
a sizeable downsizing of the elk and bison populations in the area.
The EIS preferred alternative calls for a reduction of the elk population
to four to five thousand and the bison population to below 500.
To
aid in downsizing, federal officials are proposing to allow elk
and bison hunting on the refuge, which currently prohibits bison
hunting, as well as limited elk hunting in Grand Teton. The proposal
also calls for curtailing the winter feeding program, so supplemental
feeding would only take place in "above-average" winters - approximately
five of every 10 years.
The
FWS and Park Service are seeking public comment on the draft document
until September 30. More information is available on the Service's
Web site, at www.fws.gov/bisonandelkplan.
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Did
You Know?
Congress
has left Washington, DC, for its annual summer Congressional recess.
Members of Congress are back in their respective states and districts
and won't return to Washington until September 6. This is a great
time to visit with your Representative and Senators on refuge issues
right in your own backyard!
Chances
are your elected officials have offices within an hour's drive of
your home. There may also be opportunities to see them at town hall
meetings and other public events during August. Take advantage of
this opportunity to tell them how important your local refuge is
to the community!
For
more information, contact Michael Woodbridge, Assistant Director
of Government Affairs, at 202.333.9073 or mwoodbridge@refugenet.org.
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Take
Action!
If
you received this issue of Capitol Flyer directly from the NWRA,
your e-mail address is registered with the Refuge Action Network.
But have you taken action on refuge issues? Help make a difference
on refuge issues by utilizing the NWRA's
RAN e-advocacy tool. It's fast, easy and effective!
Please
visit the NWRA Web site or contact Michael Woodbridge, Assistant
Director of Government Affairs, at 202.333.9073 or mwoodbridge@refugenet.org
for more information.
(return to table of contents)
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Capitol
Flyer, a monthly e-newsletter from the NWRA, is prepared by Michael
Woodbridge, NWRA's Assistant Director of Government Affairs.
For additional information, please contact mwoodbridge@refugenet.org.
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