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CAPITOL FLYER
Monday, October 3,
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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Hurricane
Rita Adds to Katrina Damage on Refuges
As
reported in last month's Capitol Flyer, Hurricane Katrina
caused severe damage to refuges in the South, especially in Louisiana
and Mississippi. Approximately 25 national wildlife refuges were
affected by the storm and 16 refuges in Alabama, Mississippi and
Louisiana were temporarily closed.
Quickly
following Katrina, Hurricane Rita caused extensive damage to refuges
in Texas and Louisiana. Rita made landfall at the Texas/Louisiana
border, hitting refuges like Sabine, Texas Point and McFaddin hard.
Estimates of the damages to refuges from the combined storms exceed
$200 million; this represents over half of the Refuge System's total
annual operating budget.
Although
Congress has already passed two emergency supplemental appropriations
bills, those bills focused on immediate humanitarian needs, primarily
funding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and military.
A third
supplemental is expected in the coming weeks. The National Wildlife
Refuge Association (NWRA) and the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge
Enhancement (CARE) are urging Congress to provide emergency funding
for the Refuge System in the next supplemental.
You
can urge your elected officials to provide emergency funding for
refuges in the upcoming supplemental by visiting the NWRA's Take
Action page or by visiting http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/showalert.asp?aaid=1548.
(return
to table of contents)
Arctic Update
As
reported in the September issue of Capitol Flyer, the second
part of the Congressional budget process requires authorizing committees
to report savings over five years through the budget reconciliation
process. The House and Senate Budget committees will pool the recommendations
and send a single bill to the floor in each chamber. The bill is
immune to a filibuster in the Senate.
If
Arctic Refuge drilling is included in the budget reconciliation
legislation, as is expected, the only way to prevent drilling in
the refuge is to vote down the budget reconciliation measure.
Originally,
the Budget Reconciliation bill was mandated to move in September.
However, with the emergency needs arising from hurricanes Katrina
and Rita, along with other Congressional issues like Supreme Court
nominations, budget reconciliation has been delayed until late October.
Actual votes on the Budget Reconciliation bill are expected sometime
in the beginning of November.
Congress
recently approved a continuing resolution that keeps the government
running through November 18, in hopes of finishing the remaining
appropriations bills and other major legislative priorities before
Thanksgiving.
The
NWRA encourages you to contact your Senators and Representative
and urge them to vote against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. You can take action by going to http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/showalert.asp?aaid=1528
or by visiting www.refugenet.org
and clicking on "Take Action."
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to table of contents)
Events
Nationwide Planned for Refuge Week
This
month people all across the country will engage in activities at
their local refuges to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week.
This annual event happens during the second week of October, this
year it takes place October 9-15.
According
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Refuge Week is a chance
for the country's 545 national wildlife refuges to showcase their
contributions to the conservation and recovery of wildlife and wildlife
habitat, as well as their opportunities for outdoor recreation and
appreciation of the natural world.
Events
will take place throughout the week. Contact your local refuge to
find out what's happening in your community, or visit http://www.fws.gov/refuges
to find a Refuge Week event near you.
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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)
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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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