This Statement of Administration Policy provides the
Administration's views on the Interior and Related Agencies
Appropriations Bill, FY 2000, as reported by the House
Appropriations Committee. Your consideration of the Administration's
views would be appreciated.
The allocation of discretionary resources available to the House
under the Congressional Budget Resolution is simply inadequate to
make the necessary investments that our citizens need and expect.
The President's FY 2000 Budget proposes levels of discretionary
spending that meet such needs while conforming to the Bipartisan
Budget Agreement by making savings proposals in mandatory and other
programs available to help finance this spending. Congress has
approved, and the President has signed into law, nearly $29 billion
of such offsets in appropriations legislation since 1995. The
Administration urges the Congress to consider such proposals and to
reduce unrequested funding for programs and projects in this bill.
The Administration appreciates efforts by the Committee to
accommodate certain of the President's priorities within the 302(b)
allocation. However, the allocation to the Subcommittee is simply
inadequate. Moreover, the Administration would strongly oppose an
amendment, which it understands may be offered as a floor amendment,
to reduce the already inadequate resources allocated to this bill.
The amendment would reportedly require an across-the-board reduction
of $138 million below the Committee-approved levels. A reduction of
this magnitude would be both unjustified and unnecessary, requiring
further cuts in basic services provided by the broad array of
agencies funded in this bill, including education and health care
for Native Americans, and national park and forest facilities used
by millions of Americans annually.
The President's Lands Legacy Initiative is funded at only $219
million, 73 percent below the request. It would be short-sighted to
reduce the important Lands Legacy Initiative drastically, given the
growing bipartisan recognition of the need to protect and enhance
open spaces and preserve America's great places. The Administration
appreciates the Committee's efforts to minimize extraneous,
objectionable provisions, but we are concerned about provisions
adversely affecting the environment and natural resources, which
would likely be rejected by the Congress if considered on their own
merits. The Administration urges the House to keep the bill free of
extraneous provisions.
The following highlights our specific concerns with the Committee
bill.
Environmental and Other Legislative Riders
The Administration objects to several provisions in the bill. The
Administration opposes a provision that would prohibit revisions to
forest plans until final planning regulations are published, thereby
preventing new science and sustainable forest practices from being
incorporated into expiring forest plans. Further, the Administration
objects to the Committee bill's funding prohibition on certain
inter-agency reimbursable programs included in the bill, such as the
Department of Commerce's spectrum management and coordination
program. These organizations provide necessary services and are
dependent on these reimbursable arrangements. In addition, since the
Administration has stated that it does not intend to implement the
Kyoto Protocol on global climate change until it has been ratified
by the Senate, section 331 is an unnecessary restriction.
The Administration also opposes Section 326 that would prevent
funds provided in the bill from being used to support the American
Heritage Rivers initiative. This rider is an unworkable infringement
on the Administration's ability to implement the widely-supported
American Heritage Rivers initiative.
In addition, we oppose a provision containing new reporting
requirements that would further delay completion of the Interior
Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (WA, OR, ID, MT). Other
examples of objectionable riders include a provision that would
automatically extend Bureau of Land Management grazing permits, one
that would provide for indefinite renewal of grazing permits at Lake
Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA), and one that would prohibit
establishment of a National Wildlife Refuge in the Kankakee River
(IL, IN) watershed.
Finally, the Administration appreciates and shares the
Committee's commitment to ensuring adequate fresh water supplies for
the Everglades, but these issues should be considered as part of the
authorization of the comprehensive plan for restoring the
Everglades.
Infringement on Executive Authority
There are several provisions in the Committee bill that purport
to require congressional approval before Executive Branch execution
of aspects of the bill. The Administration will interpret such
provisions to require notification only, since any other
interpretation would contradict the Supreme court ruling in INS vs.
Chadha.
Lands Legacy Initiative/Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF)
The Administration strongly opposes the Committee's decision not
to fund major portions of the President's Lands Legacy Initiative,
such as the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund and the
State and Private Forestry grant program. No funds are provided for
State land acquisition, open space planning, or urban park grants,
and funding is greatly reduced for land acquisitions in national
parks, refuges, forests, and other public lands. In addition, it
would be premature and inappropriate to eliminate the funding that
the Congress previously approved to initiate acquisition of the
majestic Baca Ranch in New Mexico while negotiations with the
landowners are ongoing.
Land Management Operations
The Administration commends the Committee's actions to address
the operational and maintenance needs of land management agencies in
the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service in the
Department of Agriculture. While the Administration appreciates the
$11 million increase provided for Abandoned Mine Lands reclamation,
as part of the Clean Water Action Plan, full funding of the $25
million request would allow significant progress in addressing acid
mine drainage and watershed problems in the Appalachian region.
The Administration is concerned, however, with the Committee's
reductions to the President's request for key conservation programs.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species program is
reduced by $10 million, or nine percent, below the request and the
Forest Service's wildlife management, ecosystem planning, and
research programs are reduced by $65 million, or 13 percent, from
the request. Moreover, the bill increases funding for Forest Service
timber sales management by $23 million, or 12 percent, above the
request. The Administration urges the Committee to redirect these
unrequested funds and to adopt the Administration's timber sale user
fee and offset proposals to fund the higher priority programs.
Millennium Initiative to Save America's Treasures
The Administration objects to the lack of funding for the $30
million Presidential initiative to commemorate the Millennium by
preserving the Nation's historic sites and cultural artifacts that
are America's treasures, but appreciates the Committee's willingness
to address the needs of this important program as the bill moves
forward. Funds provided by Congress in FY 1999 have already been
used with matching State, local, and private funds to preserve such
important national symbols as the Star Spangled Banner, the 1905
Wright III (the world's first practical airplane), and the Louis
Armstrong House and Archives.
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of Special Trustee for
American Indians
The Administration commends the Committee's action to fully fund
the request for Indian trust management improvements that are
essential to enable the Department of the Interior to continue
making progress in this multi-faceted reform effort. The
Administration, however, opposes the decision not to fund the $30
million Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) School Construction Bonding
Initiative for much-needed replacement or repairs of BIA-funded
elementary and secondary schools. The Administration is concerned
that the Committee has provided only $13 million of the $27 million
increase requested to meet the needs of expanding school
populations. Likewise, the Administration is concerned that the
Committee has funded only one program increase, $5 million for the
Indian Self-Determination Fund, of the $17 million increase
requested for Tribal Priority Allocations.
Priority Construction and Maintenance Needs
In response to congressional concerns, the National Park Service
(NPS) has taken steps to improve construction program management by
controlling costs and setting priorities through an objective,
merit-based review process. These steps would be undermined,
however, by the Committee's earmarking of $22 million for 18
unrequested and unscheduled NPS projects. The Administration urges
Congress to support construction management reforms by funding those
projects that have been selected in the five-year construction
priority lists of the NPS and other land management agencies in the
Department of the Interior, as well as funds requested for
maintenance management improvement.
National Endowment for the Arts/National Endowment for the
Humanities/Institute for Museum and Library Services
The Administration strongly objects to the proposed funding
levels for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and
Library Services (IMLS), Office of Museum Services. The Committee's
proposed $52 million, or 35-percent, reduction from the request
would preclude NEA from moving forward with its Challenge America
initiative, which emphasizes arts education and access to
under-served communities across America. The $39 million, or
26-percent, reduction from the request would preclude NEH from
expanding its summer seminar series to provide professional
development opportunities to our Nation's teachers as well as
broadening the outreach of its humanities programs. The nearly $10
million, or 29-percent, reduction from the request would preclude
IMLS from moving forward on the digital library for education,
expanding of after-school programs in museums, and enhancing the
Museums On-line program to improve museum access to communities and
schools. The Administration urges the Congress to approve funding
for the Endowments and IMLS' Office of Museum Services at the
requested levels.
Other Funding Issues
The Administration is concerned that the Committee has rejected
the $15 million increase for science programs of the U.S. Geological
Survey. This increase is intended to support the land management
bureaus. Maintaining the FY 1999 enacted funding level for the
Office of the Solicitor would seriously undermine this vital office,
requiring personnel reductions and impairing Indian trust reform and
other important activities.
The Administration also objects to the elimination of funding for
digitizing collections in the Smithsonian Institution and the
National Park Service as a part of the digital library for
education, denying school children around the nation the opportunity
to explore the unique materials available in the collections of
these two agencies.
Indian Health Service - Department of Health and Human
Services
The Administration appreciates the Committee's support of the
increase in funding over the FY 1999 enacted level for Indian
health, which is $14 million below the $170 million requested
increase for the Indian Health Service. This funding increase
represents a significant step towards continuing demonstration of
the Federal commitment to provide quality health care to 1.5 million
American Indian and Alaska Natives. The Administration is pleased
that the Committee has provided the full $35 million increase
requested for Contract Support costs. However, the Administration is
concerned that the inclusion of language on pro rata is premature
given that authorization hearings, authorization action, and tribal
consultation have not been completed. The Administration will
continue to work with Congress and the tribes to resolve this. We
hope that the final mark will provide our requested levels in
women's health, information systems, dental health, mental health,
sanitation, maintenance, and public health nursing -- all critical
areas of need for Native American communities.
Department of Energy
The Administration opposes several reductions contained in the
Committee bill. The Committee funding level for the Department of
Energy's Conservation program is $151 million below the President's
request, on a comparable program basis, and is $5 million below the
FY 1999 enacted level. In particular, this reduction would seriously
hamper the progress that is being made in the Partnership for a New
Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) to promote the development of 80-mpg
family sedans. Such a reduction would also prevent the Partnership
for Advancing Technologies in Housing (PATH) from achieving dramatic
savings in the energy operating costs of new homes. The Committee's
reduction of $34 million to the request for the Weatherization
Assistance Program would mean that approximately 17,000 fewer
low-income homes would be weatherized than requested. The
Administration also opposes the 25-percent State matching
requirement. The Administration appreciates the Committee's support
for funding of the second-year payment to the California State
Teachers' Retirement Fund, which was part of the privatization of
the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve.
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