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CAPITOL FLYER
Monday, April 3, 2006
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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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NWRA Has Moved!
The National Wildlife Refuge Association has moved to a new location in downtown Washington, DC.
The new office is only blocks away from the Department of the Interior, the White House, public transportation systems and other conservation organizations.
Our new address: 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 407, Washington, DC 20006.
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Arctic Update
On March 16, the U.S. Senate voted 51-49 for a fiscal year (FY) 2007 Budget Resolution that allows for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. While the purpose of the legislation is to instruct Congressional committees on funding levels for the federal government in FY 2007, provisions can be inserted that have the force of law if they are included in the second part of the budget process, known as "Budget Reconciliation."
In the House of Representatives, a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans have remained strongly opposed to drilling in the Arctic. As a result, the House Budget Committee left provisions regarding the Arctic Refuge out of their Budget Resolution. This is a major victory for protecting the Refuge.
Your letters and phone calls to members of Congress helped to defeat efforts by drilling advocates. However, the budget process is far from over, and efforts to drill in the Arctic Refuge will continue. Therefore, the Refuge Association will continue to keep you informed on this, as well as other refuge issues.
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Appropriations Update
The NWRA submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on March 16 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's FY 2007 budget. In addition to the Association's request of $415 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System's Operations and Maintenance account, the NWRA requested: $1 million for volunteer projects on and in connection with refuges, including the Cooperative Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program (VIMP) and competitive grants, which utilize Friends and volunteers to identify and eradicate invasive species; increases in the FWS construction and land acquisition budgets; strong funding for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; and $85 million for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program (otherwise known as State Wildlife Action Plans).
As described in the March 2006 issue of Capitol Flyer, Refuge Friends groups as well as any interested individual can also submit testimony to the Interior Appropriations subcommittees outlining recommendations for funding the National Wildlife Refuge System in FY 2007. While the deadline for submitting testimony to the House subcommittee has passed, written public testimony for the Senate is due Friday, April 28 (further instructions can be found at http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearmarkups/OWTFY07.htm).
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Interior Secretary Norton Resigns; Kempthorne Nominated
On March 10, Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, submitted her resignation letter to President Bush, announcing March 31 as her last day in that position. Bush has nominated Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne to succeed Norton as Interior Secretary.
Kempthorne, 54, is a conservative Western Republican. He served one term in the U.S. Senate, was elected governor in 1998 and easily won a second term in 2002. The Senate must confirm Kempthorne's appointment; however, confirmation is likely, since the Senate rarely turns down former members for Cabinet positions and Republicans hold the majority with 55 of 100 seats.
Deputy Interior Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett will serve as Acting Secretary until the Senate confirms Kempthorne.
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NWRA President Testifies Before Congressional Panel on Hurricane Damage at Refuges
At a March 16 hearing in the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans, Evan Hirsche, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, detailed the massive hurricane damage to Gulf Coast national wildlife refuges (NWR) and urged Congress to take swift action to speed their restoration.
2005 Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Dennis inflicted damage to 66 national wildlife refuges in eight states, causing an estimated $270 million in damages.
An emergency supplemental request from President Bush asks for $132.4 million for facility repair and clean up on hurricane-impacted refuges. In his testimony, Hirsche called on Congress to approve emergency funding for refuges of at least the level requested by President Bush. Further, he urged members of the Committee to support an additional $88 million to address habitat and natural resource damage in another supplemental funding bill this year.
Recently, the House passed the supplemental funding legislation for refuges as the level requested by President Bush. Now, the Senate is considering the legislation.
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Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Reauthorization
The House Resources Committee passed the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Improvement Act (H.R. 518) on March 29. The original Act from 2000 needs to be reauthorized by Congress to continue as the only significant federal funding source for Neotropical migratory birds. The Act established a matching grants program to fund projects that promote the conservation of migratory birds in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The new legislation would increase funding from the previously authorized level of $5 million by $1 million each year, to a maximum of $8 million by 2010. In addition, the bill reduces the required ratio of matching funds that recipients must raise from 3/1 to 1/1, making the funds more accessible. The new legislation also makes Canadian-based projects eligible for funding.
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Take
Action!
You can make your voice heard by utilizing the Refuge Action Network (RAN), a free, fast and easy way to respond to important national wildlife refuge alerts. Using the RAN system, you can send an e-mail or fax (even if you don't own a fax machine) to your elected officials with a click or two of your mouse.
Please
visit the NWRA Web site or contact Michael Woodbridge,
Director of Government Affairs, at 202.333.9073 or mwoodbridge@refugenet.org
for more information.
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Capitol
Flyer, a monthly e-newsletter from the NWRA, is prepared by Michael
Woodbridge, NWRA's Director of Government Affairs.
For additional information, please contact mwoodbridge@refugenet.org. |
