|
CAPITOL FLYER
Wednesday, February
1 , 2006
***************
Capitol
Flyer is intended to keep you abreast of the latest developments
in Washington affecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.
***************
Table of Contents:
***************
Bush
Delivers State of the Union Address
President
Bush delivered his State of the Union address last night on televisions
across the country. Following a tough year, the president took few
risks in his speech, asking little from Congress in an election-year
session. Rather than offering ambitious legislative gambits, as
he has in past years, Bush presented a series of discrete proposals,
several of which already have bipartisan support in Congress.
When
the president addressed energy and environmental issues, he said,
"America is addicted to oil," and called for a 75% cut in Middle
East crude imports over the next two decades. Bush called for vehicles
powered by hybrid engines, hydrogen and other alternative fuels.
In addition, he proposed "clean" coal technology, wind and solar
power, and nuclear power. Refreshingly absent from the president's
address was any call to boost domestic oil and gas supplies by opening
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration, a centerpiece
of White House energy proposals in the past.
(return
to table of contents)
President's
FY 2007 Budget Request Goes to Capitol Hill
The
Bush Administration's official budget request will be delivered
to Congress at the beginning of next week and constitutes the first
step in the Congressional appropriations process for fiscal year
(FY) 2007. The Administration's request outlines the president's
funding priorities for the next fiscal year and provides a starting
point for the House and Senate appropriations committees to begin
formulating spending bills for the federal government.
The
request will include proposed funding levels for the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Wildlife Refuge System. Although
the funding levels proposed in the budget request have not been
made public, the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) expects
the overall funding request for the Refuge System to be less than
in FY 2006.
(return
to table of contents)
New
Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks
Matt
Hogan has been named as the interim assistant secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior. He will
serve in this capacity until President Bush nominates and the Senate
confirms a candidate for the position.
Hogan
was officially named deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife
and Parks and then elevated to senior status among the four deputy
assistant secretaries by Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Hogan was
acting director of the FWS prior to Dale Hall's selection and confirmation
and has served as FWS deputy director.
Hogan
replaces Craig Manson, who resigned the position last November for
a teaching post at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School
of Law in Sacramento, CA.
(return
to table of contents)
New
Leaders in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The
FWS recently announced several moves by senior managers within the
agency.
Mitch
King, former assistant director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration,
has been named as the permanent regional director for the Mountain-Prairie
Region (Region 6: ND, SD, MT, WY, CO, KS, NE, and UT) in Denver,
CO. King previously held a number of positions in the FWS' Southeast
Region, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. He replaces former regional
director Ralph Morgenweck, who has gone on to a new assignment as
a FWS senior science advisor.
Rowan
Gould, regional director in Alaska (Region 7: AK), will become the
new assistant director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration in
Washington, DC, working with state fish and wildlife service agencies
and overseeing the FWS' Federal Assistance program. Prior to becoming
Alaska's regional director, Gould served as deputy regional director
for the Pacific Region in Portland, OR.
Thomas
Melius, the FWS' assistant director for External Affairs, will become
the Alaska regional director in Anchorage, AK. Melius' other FWS
experience includes serving as assistant director for Migratory
Birds and State Programs as well as assistant director for External
Affairs.
Elizabeth
Stevens, currently deputy assistant director for Endangered Species,
will succeed Thomas Melius as assistant director for External Affairs
in Washington, DC. Stevens has held several top management positions
in the FWS' Mountain-Prairie Region office in Denver, CO, as well
as positions in the California/Nevada Operations office and Washington,
DC.
(return
to table of contents)
President
Signs Junior Duck Stamp Reauthorization
On
January 10, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3179, the Junior
Duck Stamp Reauthorization Amendments Act of 2005. Rep. Solomon
Ortiz (D-TX) authored the bill. The new law extends the popular
art program designed to educate students about migratory waterfowl
and to motivate them through art to take a leadership role in the
conservation of these species.
The
Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is an art and
science program designed to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl
conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The
program guides students, using scientific and wildlife observation
principles, to communicate visually what they have learned through
an entry into the Junior Duck Stamp art contest. The Junior Duck
Stamp contest begins each spring when students submit their artwork
to a state or territory contest.
(return
to table of contents)
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)
***************
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.
|
