Copyright 2000 Federal News Service, Inc.
Federal News Service
February 29, 2000, Tuesday
SECTION: PREPARED TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 5789 words
HEADLINE:
PREPARED STATEMENT OF BRUCE BABBITT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERIOR
AND RELATED AGENCIES
BODY:
I am pleased to be
here today before the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies to present
the fiscal year 2001 budget for the Department of the Interior.
When I
appeared before you last year at this time, I remarked that the 2000 budget
would be the first of the new century and, as such, should be a bold step into
the new millennium. At the time I made those comments, I could not have foreseen
the outcome of deliberations on the 2000 budget, and the broad, bipartisan
agreements that were reached on common goals for land protection, Indian self-
determination, and stewardship.
The 2001 budget I am here to discuss
today builds on our collective good works. This is a visionary budget that is
designed to benefit all Americans with a focus on three areas: enhancing
opportunities for Native Americans; protecting great places and building
stronger communities through Lands Legacy; and taking care of what we have.
Budget Overview
The Department's 2001 request for appropriations is
$9.2 billion, an increase of $979.9 million
above the amounts provided in 2000. An estimated $2.2 billion
will be provided in permanent appropriations.
For Department programs
that are under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, the request for annual
appropriations is $8.4 billion, an increase of
$946.2 million above the levels provided in the 2000 Interior
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The budget also includes a 2000
supplemental request of $110.8 million for emergency
contingency fire costs and the highest priority damages caused by Hurricanes
Floyd, Dennis and Irene.
The First Americans: Stewardship, Investment,
Hope
In his July 1999 visit to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
South Dakota, President Clinton increased America's awareness of the critical
needs in Indian Country. The President's visit and his imperative to "begin this
new century by honoring our historic responsibility to empower the first
Americans" signal a commitment to support Indian self-determination and the
government-to-government relationship with Indian Nations. The 2001 budget
proposes $9.4 billion across the government for Native American
programs. Within the Department of the Interior, the budget proposes
$2.2 billion for BIA programs that will honor our
responsibilities and empower the first Americans. The budget provides the
largest increase ever for school construction and addressespriorities identified
by the Tribes themselves, including: safe communities, improved housing,
adequate educational facilities, and sound management of trust resources.
The Federal government has a unique and historical responsibility for
the education of over 50,000 Indian children. BIA operates 185 day and boarding
schools, many of which are located on remote and isolated reservations. BIA's
2001 request includes $300.5 million for education
construction, repair, and maintenance programs, an increase of 126 percent over
the amount provided for these programs in 2000. This increase is needed to
replace and repair facilities that have serious health and safety deficiencies
and to provide Indian children with the basic resources that are critical to
student learning. To address school operations needs, the 2001 budget includes
$506.6 million for operation of schools, an increase of
$39.7 million over 2000. This increase in funding includes
$6.8 million for the Family and Child Education Program to
improve children's readiness for school and adult literacy, and
$8.2 million for a pilot therapeutic treatment program that
will focus on the needs of high-risk students at boarding schools.
In
1997, we worked with Attorney General Janet Reno and developed a four-year
initiative in collaboration with tribal leaders to combat rising crime rates in
Indian Country. As a result of this initiative we are seeing real progress. Over
the past two years BIA and the Justice Department have hired additional officers
and investigators, are replacing dilapidated detention centers, strengthening
tribal court systems, and improving programs for at-risk children. The 2001
budget includes increases of $18.8 million for BIA to continue
this initiative and strengthen core law enforcement functions, upgrade radio
systems, and improve detention center services. The Department of Justice is
requesting an increase of $81.8 million to support tribal law
enforcement programs.
Over 100,000 Indian families are in desperate need
of better housing but cannot qualify for assistance through the Department of
Housing and Urban Development because they cannot meet minimum income
requirements. The 2001 budget doubles funding for the Housing Improvement
Program, requesting an increase of $16.3 million for housing
repairs, replacement, and renovation.
The 2001 budget includes an
increase of $4.0 million to implement fundamental changes to
BIA's internal management and administrative systems based on recommendations of
the National Academy of Public Administration. Funding will be used to address
highest priority improvements at central and field office locations that will
strengthen planning, budgeting, finance, human resources, and information
resources management.
Early in this Administration I made a commitment
to resolve the decades-old trust fund management issue and promised to fix it on
my watch. Last spring I asked for your help in providing funding to solve this
problem. You saw fit to fully fund our budget request for the Office of the
Special Trustee in 2000, and as a result, we are making progress in implementing
much-needed reform efforts. Conversion of individual Indian accounts to the new
trust fund accountingsystem will be completed by May. We have piloted the Trust
Asset and Accounting Management System in one location and we expect to begin
deploying the land title functions of the system to other locations this April.
The 2001 budget includes a comprehensive proposal to continue ongoing
trust management improvements, institute permanent and lasting changes in trust
management functions in BIA, and resolve land ownership fractionation, which is
one of the root causes of trust management problems. I want to thank this
Subcommittee for the interest and fortitude it has regularly displayed in
assisting us to tackle one of the most formidable and critical management issues
in all of government. The reforms in this area continue to be my highest
management priority for the Department.
A total of
$58.4 million is requested for trust management improvements
under the Office of the Special Trustee in 2001. This is a reduction of
$6.9 million from 2000, reflecting one-time computer
acquisition costs. The 2001 budget requests a $35.1 million
increase for BIA trust management functions, including real estate services,
probate, cadastral surveys, and land titles and records programs. These
increases are absolutely crucial to ensure that the trust management
improvements we are implementing are institutionalized and maintained in the
long term. The 2001 budget also includes $12.5 million to
expand the Indian Land Consolidation program. In 1999, BIA implemented a pilot
program on three reservations in Wisconsin and by the end of 2000 will have
acquired over 36,000 fractional interests in allotted Indian lands. The 2001
request will allow us to acquire up to 40,000 additional fractional interests.
While the Department is well underway in reforming our trust
fund management systems, we also need to examine the past to ascertain whether
income for IIM accountholders was properly credited, maintained and distributed
to and from their IIM accounts. We will publish shortly a Federal Register
notice to gather information from IIM account beneficiaries and the public to
determine the most reasonable methods for providing account holders with
information to evaluate their accounts and determining whether there are
discrepancies due to past management practices. Before doing so, however, we
will seek an order from the Judge in the Cobell litigation authorizing the
Department to communicate with the plaintiff class.
Lands Legacy
One of America's most cherished icons, President Theodore Roosevelt,
understood the compelling need for land protection and embraced a visionary,
long-term approach to conservation that led to creation of the first national
wildlife refuge at Pelican Island in Florida and designation of the Grand Canyon
as a National Monument. President Roosevelt believed that we must work together
to leave this land "an even better land for our descendents than it is for US."
Based on the idea that we need to reinvest in the preservation and
renewal of resources, the Land and Water Conservation Fund provides a secure
source offunding for land acquisition. On an annual basis $900
million is deposited into the Fund, primarily from Outer Continental Shelf rents
and royalties, for acquisition. In practice we have diverted much of the Fund to
deficit reduction. The Lands Legacy proposal makes good on the promise Congress
made in 1964 when it created the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The
President's budget, by creating a new budget category, would end this practice.
Funds could only be spent on Lands Legacy programs and could no longer be
diverted to other priorities.
The first step in creating a legacy for
our children is the identification and protection of pristine peaks, unspoiled
beaches, and verdant prairies. In many of these places we have a one-time
opportunity to preserve the matchless wonders of nature before they fall victim
to development. With ever-widening opportunities to communicate through the
internet and via satellite, the geographic barriers that once limited access to
wide open spaces no longer exist, and it is becoming more and more difficult to
find these pristine, unspoiled landscapes. Not surprisingly, many of our prized
parks, refuges, public lands, and open spaces that provide recreation and other
benefits for local communities are now at the borders of suburbia and are being
impacted by encroaching development. We are fortunate to have within our grasp
the right economic conditions and public support to take action - now. It is our
imperative. If we do not, our children will wonder why we squandered an
opportunity to leave a permanent and lasting legacy.
Will Rogers said it
best: "Invest in land - they're not making any more."
The President's
Lands Legacy Initiative builds on our 2000 achievements and
expands efforts to preserve America's great places. The 2001 budget includes
$1.4 billion for Lands Legacy government-wide and
$735.0 million for Department of the Interior programs. A new
budget category is proposed to provide dedicated, protected discretionary
funding for this initiative. In this request only the Federal acquisition and
State Conservation Grant programs will be funded from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund.
The 2001 budget requests $450.0
million for Federal land acquisition, including $320.0 million
for acquisition programs in the Department. Funding will be used to complete
purchases in the California desert and continue acquisition of Civil War
battlefields, the Florida Everglades, the Lewis and Clark Trail, and the
Northern Forest. In addition to these areas, the 2001 budget requests funding
for the New York - New Jersey watershed where acquisition will protect the last
vestiges of wetlands and uplands that serve as stopover sites for migratory
birds and buffer refuges from the impacts of rapidly growing suburbs. Proposed
acquisitions in the Lower Mississippi Delta will protect areas that are rich in
cultural, historical and ecological values, and vital to our continued efforts
to restore wildlife and fisheries. In Southern California acquisition will
protect unique ecosystem types and endangered species, archeological finds and
fossil deposits, and expand community access to recreational opportunities and
outstanding scenery.Land acquisition is a key component to many of our
landscape-scale restoration initiatives. Restoration of the South Florida
ecosystem is one of the most significant environmental initiatives of our
lifetime. Historically, this ecosystem contained some of the most diverse
habitats on earth, but deprived of sufficient water supplies it can no longer
support a diverse array of wildlife. The 2001 request for land acquisition
includes $80.0 million for acquisition in South Florida and the
Everglades. Of this amount $47.0 million is for a matching
grant to the State of Florida to continue acquisition for restoration purposes.
The request also includes $33.0 million that will be used to
complete acquisition of Big Cypress National Park and Preserve and to add 1,870
acres to national wildlife refuges to preserve habitat that is critical to
wildlife and important to ongoing restoration efforts.
As we continue
acquisitions to safeguard our national parks, refuges, and public lands that
will preserve the magnificent views of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon and the Grand
Tetons, we must also be attentive to the needs for open space in our own
backyards. The public is demanding that we tend to the small parcels and pockets
of open space that provide recreational opportunities, reduce suburban sprawl,
and revitalize urban areas. In New Jersey voters have been able to secure a
multi-year commitment for funds to acquire these important green spaces and are
looking for a partnership commitment from the Federal government. The 2001
budget includes $150.0 million, funded from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund, for State Conservation Grants. Funded for the first time
since 1995, the 2000 appropriation included $41 million for
this program. Using these grants, communities will leverage resources and
acquire open spaces and develop outdoor recreation areas. In the past, these
grants have been used by states and communities to acquire areas such as Point
Dune State Beach in California. This locally operated park 18 miles west of
Santa Monica features cliffs, secluded coves and tidal pools, and its headlands
offer views of migrating California gray whales between November and May.
The Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery program creates and renews
close-tohome recreation opportunities that strengthen economically distressed
urban communities and positively impact at-risk youth and the safety of our
cities. The 2001 budget request includes $20.0 million that
will be used to enhance urban park and recreation areas that have deteriorated
to the point where health and safety are endangered. Grants will be provided to
state and local governments that will leverage grant funding with public and
private sources, building local support and commitment for the protection and
management of neighborhood parks. For the first time since 1995, the Congress
provided funding for this program, appropriating $2.0 million
in 2000. Grants will be allocated to sponsor projects such as Indianapolis's
Youth Conservation Corps, a program in which inner-city youth renovated a
neighborhood park and constructed an ecological pond utilizing funds provided by
area businesses.
The 2001 budget requests $65.0
million, an increase of $42.0 million for grants to states and
local governments to conserve species through the Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund. This program provides communities with flexible approaches
and resources to use in resolving the conflictingdemands caused by economic
growth, increasing population, and declining habitat. Through the development of
Habitat Conservation Plans, implementation of candidate conservation agreements,
safe harbor agreements, and other means these communities are able to assure the
protection of imperiled species and assist in their recovery.
Since
1991, the FWS has worked in partnership with Canada, Mexico, State and local
governments, farmers and other private landowners, Tribes, and non-profit
conservation groups to conserve wetlands through the North American Wetlands
Conservation Fund. Nearly 13 million acres of wetlands and associated uplands in
Canada and the U.S. have been protected, and an additional 25 million acres in
Mexico have benefited from similar conservation actions. A total of
$727 million has been provided by partners to match the
$288 million provided from the Fund in support of these
projects. The 2001 budget includes $30.0 million, an increase
of $15.0 million over 2000, to restore breeding grounds,
resting and over-wintering areas for waterfowl and migratory species and wetland
dependent wildlife. In combination with partnership contributions, this request
translates into a minimum of $60 million in wetlands
restoration projects and associated benefits.
The 2001 request for Lands
Legacy includes $100.0 million for a State Non-Game Wildlife
Grants program. Through this program funds will be provided to States, Tribes,
and territories for activities that will conserve and restore nongame species
including planning, monitoring and conducting inventories, restoring habitat,
acquiring land, and increasing opportunities for non-game wildlife recreation.
This program will address non-game species protection and
restoration needs that have not been addressed through existing programs and
will respond to public demand for increased access to non-game recreational
opportunities. An estimated 62.9 million nature enthusiasts currently spend over
$29.2 billion a year in pursuit of these activities. Projects
will include restoring habitats favored by songbirds and other non-game species
and protection of key stopover points for migratory songbirds.
The
Department is committed to providing relevant science to decision- makers at all
levels of government and strengthening their ability to protect valuable natural
resources, identify optimal lands for acquisition, design effective land use and
development strategies, develop efficient transportation systems, and mitigate
natural hazards. A $50.0 million State Planning Partnerships
program in the USGS 2001 budget will provide State and local decision-makers and
Federal resource managers with geospatial data, earth science information, and
tools such as GIS. This request includes $10.0 million for an
expanded Urban Dynamics Program to assist city and regional land use planners in
developing plans for community growth that will resolve potential land use
conflicts. The State Planning Partnerships proposal also includes
$10.0 million for predictive modeling and decision support
systems for Federal and State natural resource managers to improve their
effectiveness. Finally, $30.0 million is requested to work
collaboratively with local communities, States, and others to improve data
sharing and access to spatial data and maps. These funds would be made available
to local communities through competitive matching grants and othercooperative
agreements under the Community/Federal Information Partnership program. Efforts
sponsored by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, such as the Cooperative
Agreements Program, and other efforts such as the Ohio View project, have
demonstrated the usefulness of information sharing among Federal, State, and
local organizations and universities for decision-making purposes.
Taking Care of What We Have
During my tenure as Secretary, we
have worked diligently with the Subcommittee to strengthen and rebuild the
operational programs of the land management agencies. Despite budget cutbacks
and limitations in discretionary appropriations, a constant theme in
negotiations on the budget has been to take care of what we have and uphold our
responsibility for stewardship of the land, natural resources, and facilities.
Since 1993, we have grown the operating accounts of the National Park
Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management by
$851.1 million, or 43 percent. This compares to the 19 percent
growth rate for appropriations for the Department of the Interior in this same
time period. These operational funding increases have been focused on building
bench strength in the field and improving the delivery of programs to the'
public and not on building a bureaucracy. We have maximized efficiency by
working collaboratively with our partners, encouraging volunteerism, fostering
programs like the Youth Conservation Corps, and holding Federal staffing to the
minimum required. Consider that the 2001 budget increases staffing by only two
percent while the increase in funding is 12 percent. Even with the increases
sought in this budget, the Department's staffing will be more than 10 percent
below our 1993 base.
The 2001 budget continues this theme of taking care
of our operational programs with increases totaling $214.3
million for the land management agencies in order to safeguard the integrity of
the Nation's parks, refuges, and public lands. Funding is targeted to address
operational needs, resolution of specific land management issues, and repair and
rehabilitation of facilities.
Bureau of Land Management. Over the last
decade, BLM has transformed itself into a model of multiple use management,
emphasizing conservation while protecting the access rights of a diverse group
of customers. The budget proposes a $76.5 million increase in
the bureau's primary operating accounts to continue and expand its quiet
successes including: -- collaboration with 24 independent Resource Advisory
Councils to bring about changes to livestock grazing practices and applying new
standards to conserve western lands; -- implementing the Northwest Forest Plan
in order to allow for timber production while protecting sensitive species; --
and fulfilling a vision for preservation of public lands such as the Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah and the Headwaters Forest Reserve
in California.
The designation of monument status recognizes the
biological, archeological, and geological significance of areas that stand out
from the landscape because of exceptional beauty, and geographic and historical
value. In 1908 TeddyRoosevelt designated the first monument, the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument protects the entryway to the Grand
Canyon and extends protection for the deep canyons, mountains, and isolated
buttes that extend from the Canyon along the Colorado River plateau. Clearly,
President Roosevelt recognized the need to protect the Grand Canyon, but even he
could not have anticipated the need to extend protection to the surrounding area
and the urgency driven by population expansion and development that is
transforming so much of the western landscape.
Arising from this series
of designations is a newly emerging BLM conservation system, that alongside
national parks and national wildlife refuges, will constitute an enduring part
of our public land heritage. Establishing a new model for conservation, our
management of these areas will maintain traditional relationships with the
surrounding communities. At Grand Staircase Escalante we responded to the
challenge by Governor Leavitt and the communities of southern Utah, agreeing
that visitor centers and other visitor service facilities could be located in
surrounding communities to continue the historical link between the landscape
and community life.
Improved management of national monuments, national
conservation areas, wild and scenic river corridors, and other places are a
focus of BLM's 2001 budget. An increase of $16.0 million will
allow BLM to focus on stabilizing and restoring existing resources and enhancing
recreational and educational opportunities at officially designated areas.
Funding for the three new monuments, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument,
Agua Fria National Monument, and California Coastal National Monument is
included in this request.
The 2001 budget also includes an increase of
$19.0 million to improve land use planning and begin a
multi-year process to update resource management plans. This planning effort
will allow the bureau to be more responsive to use authorization requests and
ensure sustainable use. Another land management priority that is addressed in
BLM's budget request is $9.0 million to tackle one of the most
difficult management issues - the explosive growth of wild horses. Today's herds
are almost 75 percent above appropriate herd management levels and populations
continue to increase at about 20 percent per year. BLM is proposing to increase
removals, adoptions, and gelding and, where necessary, implement a long-term
strategy to reach appropriate herd management levels by 2005.
National
Park Service. Careful stewardship of National parks is essential to protect
scenic vistas and cultural resources, mitigate the effects of air and water
pollution, and support fish and wildlife populations, while accommodating
increasing visitor use. The 2001 budget includes an increase of
$90.3 million for operation of the National Park Service.
Included within this request is $24.0 million for special park
increases to address specific program needs at 72 parks, three trails, and for
the U.S. Park Police. Funds will be directed to parks with new responsibilities,
priority operations and maintenance needs, and to improve the visitor
experience. Examples of specific park increases include improving theemployee
safety program at Yosemite National Park in California; operating a new
information plaza at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona; and improving
cultural and natural resource management at the Tallgrass Prairie National Park,
Kansas.
The operational increase for NPS also includes
$18.0 million for the Natural Resource Challenge, a five-year
program launched in 2000 to improve the management of natural resources in
parks. Funding is requested to accelerate efforts to acquire basic data on
natural resources and monitor the condition of parks. Funding will be used for
control of invasive species in 13 parks to restore healthy, functioning
ecosystems and to initiate water quality monitoring at 12 networks of parks. At
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park efforts to control alien species of
plants and fish that are destroying native vegetation and habitat will be
increased. Parks will restore habitat for endangered and threatened species,
including two endangered nesting birds at Haleakala National Park in Hawaii, and
foxes faced with extinction at Channel Islands National Park in California.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The 521 unit National
Wildlife Refuge system is a national network of lands and waters devoted to the
conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plants. This
system of over 93 million acres is important to the long-term survival and
restoration of the nation's wild resources -- providing important breeding,
feeding, and stopover areas for migratory birds; nursery areas for important
commercial and sport fisheries; and refugia for native plant species.
Approximately 34 million visitors enjoy wildlife watching, photography, hiking,
educational programs, and other activities on refuges. The 2001 budget includes
an increase of $19.9 million for refuge projects that will
protect wildlife, improve habitat, and provide improved educational
opportunities for the public. This request continues our efforts to be stewards
of the refuge system. Since 1996, we have increased funding for refuge
operations and maintenance by $113 million or 67 percent.
One of our greatest successes is the creation of flexible and innovative
programs that make the Endangered Species Act work for people and wildlife. We
have developed a conservation framework that utilizes habitat conservation
planning, safe harbor agreements, candidate conservation agreements, and other
programs in order to permit sound economic development and protect imperiled
species. Examples of our specific accomplishments include:
-- Candidate
conservation agreements in the southwest have kept species including the Pecos
pupfish and Arizona bugbane off the endangered species list. -- Streamlining the
Section 7 consultation process for timber sales in the Pacific Northwest has
reduced timeframes by 50 percent. -- Habitat conservation plans have been put in
place that protect salmon and bull trout. -- The gray wolf and California condor
have been reintroduced and are flourishing. A recent Tenth Circuit Court of
Appeals ruling eliminates the -- threat of removal for the Yellowstone wolves
and their offspring. -- Bald eagle populations are proposed for downlisting from
endangered to threatened.
The 2001 budget includes
$115.3 million for the endangered species program, an increase
of $7.0 million. Funding will be used to develop 42 candidate
conservation agreements, work on 550 habitat conservation plans, consider an
additional 27 species reclassifications and delisting actions, and develop an
additional 10 safe harbor agreements. These varied programs offer a full range
of alternatives to states, local governments, and communities for conservation
of species and resolution of competing demands.
The protection of refuge
lands, endangered and threatened species, and migratory birds demands the
vigilance and skills of a cadre of law enforcement officers that are trained in
the latest techniques in detection and interdiction of wildlife violators. The
2001 budget includes an increase of $12.6 million to better
train and equip FWS law enforcement personnel and expand the agent work force to
defend wildlife against criminals that are becoming increasingly sophisticated
and well equipped.
Title VIII of the Alaska National Interests Lands
Conservation Act protects the subsistence harvest rights of rural residents of
Alaska. For these Alaskans, subsistence harvests form the foundation for a way
of life and are essential for meeting economic, social, and cultural needs. To
uphold our responsibilities to provide a priority for subsistence uses, the
budget includes $12.9 million for the Department to fully
implement the court-ordered Federal takeover of the subsistence fisheries
program in Alaska. In addition, the Forest Service is requesting
$5.5 million for its program responsibilities. The Department's
request includes $5.4 million for program management and
coordination and $7.5 million for resource and harvest
monitoring. We will utilize the expertise of the State, Native organizations,
and others and contract with them for resource and harvest monitoring.
This Subcommittee has been very supportive of our efforts to adequately
budget for our uncontrollable costs. On an annual basis we incur increased costs
as a result of pay rate increases, rising costs for retirement benefits, and the
charges passed onto us for workers' compensation, unemployment compensation and
space rental costs. For 2001 these "hidden costs" total $141.7
million and would have to be absorbed by the operational programs if funds are
not provided. Part of our efforts to take care of what we have includes making
sure we do not have to absorb these costs and adversely affect our ability to
manage and maintain lands, resources, and facilities.
Safe Visits. The
Department manages an extensive infrastructure of administrative and public use
buildings, housing, roads and trails, dams, bridges, water and wastewater
systems, schools, laboratories, and other facilities. Some of these facilities
are over 100 years old and many are located in remote locations.With the
encouragement of Chairman Regula and this Subcommittee, the Department
instituted a comprehensive Safe Visits to Public Lands initiative to bring
consistency and accountability to management of the Department's infrastructure,
and to focus funding on the highest priority maintenance and construction needs.
We will soon provide the Subcommittee with a comprehensive report on the status
of projects funded in 1999.
The 2001 request for Safe Visits is
$1.2 billion, an increase of $134.6 million or
13 percent, over 2000. The budget includes $570.3 million for
maintenance and $601.3 million for construction to accelerate
repairs to Indian schools, replace six Indian schools, repair and replace
facilities in parks, refuges and other Interior properties. Included within the
request is $9.2 million to conduct condition assessments on a
five-year cycle. These condition assessments will establish a baseline of
current conditions of facilities and provide a thorough evaluation of repair and
rehabilitation needs. The budget also includes $4.3 million to
continue the development and implementation of maintenance management systems
that will provide reliable, consistent information to facilities managers.
Other Programs. The 2001 request continues Outer Continental Shelf
regulatory and environment research programs that limit negative consequences
that could result from exploration and production in sensitive offshore lands.
The 2001 budget request for MMS programs totals $130.2 million.
These MMS programs also collect revenues that finance one-half of the costs of
the Department's programs.
Through the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund
we provide grants to states and Tribes to reclaim previously mined lands. On an
annual basis this program restores approximately 9,000 acres to productive use
and reduces threats to public health and safety. An increase of
$15.3 million from the Fund will allow the reclamation of an
additional 1,000 acres. Of this increase, $2.0 million will be
available for the Appalachian Clean Streams initiative. This program brings
together Federal and local resources to restore stream habitat and water quality
by reducing acid mine drainage, and thereby improving water quality for local
communities and restoring habitat for species such as the Appalachian brook
trout. With this increase, an estimated 46 new projects will be initiated.
Finally, I ask that you consider operational needs for other
Departmental priorities including the Solicitor's Office, our new Inspector
General, and Departmental Management. For these offices, we are requesting
uncontrollable cost increases and funding for ongoing litigation support
provided by the Solicitor's Office, to expand the capability of the IG's audit
and investigation function, and for Departmental Offices to address important
needs in electronic data security and improved financial accountability.
This concludes my prepared statement. I will be happy to answer any
questions you may have.
END
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March 8, 2000