|
CAPITOL FLYER
Wednesday, March
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:
***************
Appropriations Update
On
February 6, the president made public his budget request for fiscal
year (FY) 2007 appropriations for the Department of the Interior,
including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceÕs (FWS) National Wildlife
Refuge System (NWRS).
The
FY 2007 budget request proposes a $322 million cut for the Department
of the Interior. The requested funding level for the operations
and maintenance (O&M) account for the Refuge System was $381.7 million.
This funding level is approximately $11 million less than the administrationÕs
FY 2006 request and $763,000 less than the actual FY 2006 funding
level (after Congressional rescissions and agency reprogrammings).
The FY 2007 Refuge System O&M funding request from the president
represents a significant cut in funding for the FWS.
Today,
Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will be on Capitol Hill testifying
on the administrationÕs budget request before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. On May
15, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall will testify
before the same Subcommittee on the ServiceÕs budget request.
As
in past years, the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) will
submit testimony to the Interior Appropriations subcommittees outlining
the AssociationÕs recommendations for funding the National Wildlife
Refuge System in FY 2007. Refuge Friends groups as well as any interested
individual can also submit testimony to the subcommittee. According
to the House subcommittee, written public testimony must be received
by Thursday, March 16 (further instructions can be found on the
subcommitteeÕs website at http://appropriations.house.gov/_files/InteriorInstructionsforwrittenTestimony.htm).
In the Senate, written public testimony must be received by Friday,
April 28 (further instructions can be found at http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearmarkups/OWTFY07.htm).
Look for an Action Alert from the NWRA allowing individuals to submit
testimony to the Interior Appropriations subcommittees through the
Refuge Action Network (RAN) soon.
(return
to table of contents)
Second Supplemental Request for Refuges Delivered to Congress
The
Bush Administration sent another emergency supplemental funding
request to Congress. The $72.4 billion request includes funding
for Iraq, terrorism and hurricane recovery. As part of the request,
the administration has requested $132.4 million for clean up and
facility repair needs at 61 national wildlife refuges damaged by
storms.
In
an earlier emergency supplemental request to Congress, the administration
asked for $60 million for hurricane recovery on national wildlife
refuges. This second supplemental brings the administrationÕs total
request for refuges to over $190 million.
With
the costs of damages to refuges from hurricanes Katrina and Rita
totaling more than $240 million, the NWRA and Cooperative Alliance
for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) are asking Congress to approve, at
a minimum, the $132.4 million in the presidentÕs request.
New
storm-related costs on refuges continue to mount. A recent report
prepared for the FWS found more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids
and gases are sinking further into the marsh within the Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Louisiana as a result of Hurricane
Rita, which passed directly over the refuge.
The
barrels have contributed to a six-mile debris field that can be
seen from space and is believed to be one of, if not the longest,
in the state. The debris field was caused by damage to nearby oil
and gas facilities, as well as small coastal communities that were
completely destroyed.
Costs
for clean up of the toxic debrisÑnot accounted for in current storm
damage estimates by the FWSÑare estimated at $800 per drum and $1,600
per large container. As a result, unaccounted damages in Sabine
NWR add up to approximately $15-20 million.
(return
to table of contents)
Wetland Loan Act on the Move
On
November 14, 2005, Reps. Mark Kennedy (R-MN) and Mike Thompson (D-CA)
introduced H.R. 4315, a bill that would amend the Duck Stamp Act
and Wetland Loan Act to provide the FWS with $400 million in emergency
funding to protect critical wetland habitat. The $400 million would
be authorized by Congress as a loan against future Duck Stamp revenues.
H.R.
4315, coupled with existing revenues from the Migratory Bird Conservation
Fund would provide $800 million to secure critical waterfowl habitat
over the next 10 years. The bill is patterned after the Wetland
Loan Act of 1961. No tax dollars are involved, and the loan will
be repaid out of future Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation
Stamp (Duck Stamp) revenues. The Duck Stamp has raised nearly $700
million and conserved some 5.2 million acres of wetland habitat
across the country since its inception.
Currently,
H.R. 4315 has 77 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, and
a Senate version of the bill is expected to be introduced soon.
On February 22, a diverse collection of hunting, birding and conservation
organizationsÑincluding the NWRAÑmet in Minneapolis, MN, to rally
support for the legislation, as well as develop a strategy for increasing
Duck Stamp revenues through sales.
(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.
|
