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CAPITOL FLYER
Monday, May 2, 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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Budget
Approved By Congress Allows Drilling in Arctic NWR
Late
in the evening on April 28th, the U.S. Congress voted to approve
a nearly $2.6 trillion federal budget that paves the way for oil
and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The
measure passed the House by a vote of 214 - 211 and the Senate by
a vote of 52 - 47.
Although
the budget resolution conference report does not explicitly mention
the Arctic Refuge, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH)
told reporters it would allow drilling in the refuge through the
subsequent budget reconciliation process, which is protected from
a Senate filibuster.
The
bill includes reconciliation instructions of $2.4 billion over five
years to the House Resources and Senate Energy and Natural Resources
committees. The chairmen of both committees are strong proponents
of opening the Refuge to oil development and will likely attempt
to "reduce spending" by $2.4 billion over five years (through drilling).
This amount is close to the projected revenue from Arctic drilling
leases released by the Congressional Budget Office.
The
next step in opposing drilling the Arctic Refuge through the budget
will come in September, when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
and House Resources committees must provide the Budget Committee
with reconciliation language.
The
National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) would like to thank
everyone who took the time to contact his or her members of Congress
on this important issue. Your emails, calls and letters did make
a difference as evidenced by the close House vote, where a surprising
number of moderate Republicans bucked their leadership.
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Ivory-Billed
Woodpecker Discovered in Cache River NWR
The
ivory-billed woodpecker, long thought extinct, has been found in
the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. The bird is known for
its impressive size, measuring up to 20 inches in length.
Established
in 1986, the Cache River NWR protects significant wetland habitats
and provides feeding and resting areas for migrating waterfowl.
The refuge is part of an area in Arkansas known as the Big Woods
and is one of the few remaining areas in the Lower Mississippi River
Valley not drastically altered by channelization and drainage. It
includes some of the most intact and least disturbed bottomland
hardwood forests in the Valley.
The
ivory-billed woodpecker, the largest in the United States, was squeezed
out of its southeastern old-bottomland habitat due to the fragmentation
and harvesting of contiguous forests. Presumed extinct by many,
there have been unconfirmed sightings in a number of southeastern
states, but no confirmation of live birds for many decades.
The
NWRA took the Interior DepartmentŐs announcement about the rare
bird as an opportunity to point out the dire funding crisis currently
facing the Refuge System. In a press release, Evan Hirsche, NWRAŐs
president stated, "It's not surprising that the ivory-billed woodpecker
has gone undiscovered for so long. With massive staffing shortages
and a $2 billion funding backlog, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
simply can't know everything happening within their refuges."
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Appropriations
Update
The
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior is scheduled to meet
May 4 to "mark up" the spending bill that will provide funding for
the Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other related
agencies.
Despite
the fact that the full House Appropriations Committee has yet to
make public the total funding levels for the various appropriation
bills, the Interior Subcommittee will move ahead with the bill.
For
fiscal year 2005, Congress provided $20 billion for the Interior
Department and related programs, about 2 percent more than President
Bush requested. But in an indication of the budget constraints facing
the House Interior Subcommittee, the White House requested $9 billion
for fiscal year 2006 for the Interior Department itself, some 9
percent below the funding level provided for fiscal year 2005. To
view NWRAŐs FY06 appropriations testimony, visit http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/about%20care.html
and click on the appropriate link.
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Transportation
Update
It
appears Congress may approve a transportation reauthorization bill,
major legislation for transportation projects across the country.
The House passed H.R. 3, the "Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users," authorizing $284 billion for federally supported transportation
programs through FY 2009, including $20 million per year for refuge
road improvements.
In
the Senate, the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation
Equity Act of 2005," was taken up for debate prior to the chamberŐs
Spring Recess. When the Senate returns in a week, they are expected
to continue work on the transportation bill. The Senate bill currently
includes $26.8 million per year for refuge roads.
The
Refuge Roads Program funds construction and maintenance of roads
and trails within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Every dollar
for refuge roads from the Department of Transportation is a dollar
that the FWS doesnŐt have to take away from wildlife management.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), the Refuge
System currently has a transportation backlog of needs of $2.1 billion.
In fact, the FHA has classified over 37% of Refuge System roads
as being in "poor to failed" condition.
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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 NWRAŐs RAN e- advocacy tool at
http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com. ItŐs 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.
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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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