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Search Terms: "Lands Legacy Initiative", House or Senate or Joint

Document 33 of 118.

APRIL 22, 1999, THURSDAY

SECTION: IN THE NEWS

LENGTH: 5223 words

HEADLINE: PREPARED STATEMENT OF
BRUCE BABBITT
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
BEFORE THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
INTERIOR SUBCOMMITTEE

BODY:

I am pleased to appear before the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies to present the fiscal year 2000 budget for the Department of the Interior.
The 2000 budget is a landmark budget because it will be the first budget of the new century, and because it is a bold and forward looking statement by the President of the importance of resource and Indian trust stewardship. Focused around the theme, "Guardians of the Past; Stewards for the Future," the 2000 budget will allow us to make important investments in land and resources, and to meet our responsibilities to Tribes.
As we approach the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Department of the Interior, this budget gives us cause for optimism and sets a new direction for the next 150 years. Since I became Secretary in 1993, this Department has aggressively streamlined operational programs and processes to improve efficiency and the delivery of services to the public. As a result, we are more unified, more clear in our purpose and mission, and are well-positioned to undertake the challenges of the next century.
The Department's activities are a part of the day-to-day lives of all Americans and touch on all aspects of the economic and cultural life of this Nation. Every year 379 million people, more than the population of the United States, visit our National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges and public lands. The 445 million acres of lands that this Department manages are a source of meaningful outdoor and educational experiences for these visitors. In addition, we supply water to approximately 31 million people throughout the west and provide services and support for self-determination to 1.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
This broad mandate for the Department of the Interior had its genesis with the creation of the Home Department, which was established in March 1849 to house agencies concerned with the management of domestic issues. Since that time, the mission of the Department has been shaped by the changing needs of the American people, evolving from the Home Department of the 19th century, through the bygone eras of great westward expansion, the conservation age at the beginning of the 20th century, the Great Depression and Civilian Conservation Corps years, and the post World War II baby boom. Today the principal mission of the Department is the conservation and management of natural and cultural resources, the protection and encouragement of Indian self- determination, and the fulfillment of Federal trust responsibilities to American Indians.
Driven by the strong, continuous growth of the economy and the public's appetite for outdoor recreation and outdoor experiences, the Department has evolved new approaches that consider the twin goals of growing the economy and protecting and restoring the Nation's natural and cultural resources. We have made great strides in recent years by embarking on the restoration of precious ecosystems in a way that enriches neighboring communities, resulting in the following success stories:
- in South Florida we are working in partnership with the State and others to restore the Everglades, recreating the 17,000 square mile sea of grass; - we continue our work with States, Tribes, communities, and private landowners to implement new, innovative approaches to the Endangered Species Act. For the first time in 60 years we have healthy, reproductive populations of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park; - we are embarking on the fifth year of Forest Plan implementation, demonstrating how cooperative partnerships between Federal agencies and local interests can effectively promote wise land stewardship; and - in partnership with the State of California, we completed the purchase of the 7,400-acre Headwaters ancient redwood forest, the largest stand of privately-owned ancient redwoods in the country.
In addition, the Department has developed five-year plans for maintenance and construction to improve management and accountability for the Department's infrastructure and to focus funding on the highest priority health and safety and resource protection needs. We are proud of these accomplishments and appreciate the Subcommittee's support of these efforts.
Budget Overview. The 2000 budget requests $8.7 billion in funds subject to annual appropriation. This request is fully funded within the President's balanced budget and includes an increase of $832 million, or 11 percent, over 1999 funding levels. An estimated $2.2 billion will be provided in permanent appropriations.
For Department programs under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, the request for annual appropriations is $7.8 billion for 2000. This is an increase of $717 million in current budget authority from total appropriations provided in the 1999 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
Within this increase, $139 million or 18 percent of the increase is requested for uncontrollable cost increases in order to continue Departmental programs at current operational levels in 2000. The budget:
- proposes funding for the President's Lands Legacy Initiative, to protect America's land resources and establish a new partnership with States, Tribes and local governments; - provides resources for broad-based restoration efforts including public lands restoration and science tools to support these efforts, continuation of our successful ecosystem restoration efforts, restoration of species and cultural resources, and facilities repair and rehabilitation; and - requests funding to continue to improve life in Indian Country through enhanced education programs, school construction, law enforcement, Tribal buffalo programs, and aggressive efforts to resolve trust management problems.
The level of staffing proposed for 2000 is comparable with employment levels in the Department in 1987. The 2000 budget proposes to increase staffing by only two percent, as compared to the increased funding request of 11 percent. The Department will continue to operate efficiently, having taken an aggressive approach to streamlining, reducing headquarters staffs and management layers, reengineering processes, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our program delivery, at the field level. Between the period 1993-1997, staffing was reduced by 15 percent. The new staff we are requesting for 2000 will focus on direct service to the public and on-the ground restoration.
Lands Legacy. At the start of the century, President Theodore Roosevelt called on Americans to save the best of our natural endowment for all time. His legacy is seen across the country in parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. President Clinton's Lands Legacy Initiative renews America's commitment to its natural environment. This 2000 budget proposal provides significant new resources to protect local green spaces and increases protection for our oceans and coasts. It recognizes that carrying out this commitment must include not only resources for Federal land acquisition, but also resources directed to States, local communities, and Tribes to address their local needs in their own ways. The interagency Lands Legacy Initiative provides roughly equal amounts of funding for Federal land acquisition and funds to States, local communities, and Tribes for acquisition and other conservation purposes.

The initiative includes $900 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), marking the first time any Administration has requested the full $900 million authorized to be deposited in LWCF in its annual budget. The initiative includes $579 million for Department of the Interior programs, which is an increase of $84.5 million from the 1999 level.
The Lands Legacy Initiative includes $295 million for Federal land acquisition by Interior, an increase of $84.5 million over current year levels. With this infusion of funding, we have an opportunity to preserve aspects of our natural and cultural legacy for all time. Our efforts will focus particularly on five major areas, including the California Desert, Civil War Battlefields, the Lewis and Clark Trail, refuges in the Northern Forest, and the Everglades. Funding for these five areas totals $163.7 million. An additional $130.3 million is requested for land acquisition in other areas to protect priority natural and cultural resources, like the addition of 31 acres at Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, established as the first refuge by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.
A total of $80 million, an increase of $66 million, will allow States and localities to continue to grow while conserving and recovering imperiled species. Funding will be provided to States and local communities for habitat conservation planning and land acquisition, candidate conservation agreements, Safe Harbor Agreements, and other collaborative strategies to help communities deal with the pressures of economic growth in a context of declining habitat. This proposal is a win-win approach to species protection, as it will provide incentives for landowners to protect plants and wildlife on their property and will accelerate the states' ability to restore declining species in time to keep them off the endangered species list.
The Lands Legacy Initiative includes $150 million for a LWCF competitive grants program that will assist States, local communities, and Tribes to preserve green space. This is an opportunity for us to establish new partnerships with States, Tribes, and local governments to enrich our cities, towns, and suburbs. In America today there is a resurgent sense of the need to preserve open space and the quality of life in our communities, and this program can provide dramatic results by leveraging Federal funds with non Federal sources. This proposal will allow us to work with the Congress on framing a viable program that will result in increased open spaces, greenways, and other areas for outdoor recreation, urban parks, wildlife habitat, and coastal wetlands.
Open space protection is gaining momentum at State, regional, and local levels as a means to protect farmland, maintain natural surroundings, and combat sprawl. Across the country in ballot measures, the American people are supporting the need for local planning and protection that guides development and the establishment and protection of open space. The 2000 budget includes $50 million for matching grants to States and Indian Tribes to support open space planning. An additional $4 million is proposed for matching grants and technical assistance for the restoration of parks in economically distressed urban communities.
Livability. The Lands Legacy Program is complemented by a second Administration initiative, the Livability Agenda, which encompasses a broad array of issues that relate to quality of life, including transportation, safe streets and economic competitiveness. The Livability Agenda proposes that the federal government work in partnership with local communities to protect green space for wildlife and recreation, ease traffic congestion, and pursue regional "smart growth" strategies.
The President's FY 2000 budget request to support major livability programs, includes $39.5 million for an interagency Community/Federal Information Partnership that will accomplish two primary objectives. First, approximately 60 percent of the funding will be available as competitive, matching grants to local, regional, and national non- Federal agencies and organizations to build local capacity to use GIS technology. Second, the remainder of the funding will be used to improve public access to geographic information residing in federal agencies. Six pilot projects have been launched and are designed to show how geospatial data and maps from various government agencies can help communities make sound decisions about local issues such as watershed and water quality management, disaster preparedness and recovery, and land use planning. The Department has a lead role in this partnership and under this program, USGS would receive $10 million, and BLM, $2 million.
Restoration. At the turn of the century the concept of preservation was firmly adopted by the American public. Deeply rooted in the ideals of President Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Aldo Leopold, preservation was the clarion call that created a national imperative to preserve wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, national parks, and wildlife refuges. These national treasures are an admirable and important legacy and we are the guardians of that legacy. Moving beyond our responsibilities for stewardship of these national treasures we have come to understand the importance of the entire landscape that extends outside the boundaries of our public lands.
Migratory. birds follow historic flyways in their routes from summer to wintering habitat that know no park, refuge, or other boundary. Salmon and trout move in rivers and streams in a natural rhythm that links to a world that existed before boundaries were established. To protect these wild stocks and heal the land, we have to understand that all the components of an ecosystem are interconnected. Cut too many trees in the headwaters of a stream, and you send a pulse of sediment into the current impacting aquatic life. Our role as guardians of the past and stewards for the future compels us to approach issues and identify solutions on a landscape scale. This budget proposes significant resources to restore public lands and work outside these boundaries in the restoration of fish, wildlife, and natural communities.
Restoring Ecosystems. The President's Northwest Forest Summit in April, 1993 brought us a new vision for approaches that serve nature and the Nation's economic future. This vision recognizes that understanding landscapes as complex, living, and integrated systems can result in better ways of living on and prospering from the land, while protecting species and preserving nature's special places. Over the last six years the Administration has implemented three large scale restoration efforts that embrace this vision using new methods, partnerships, and renewed public participation. The 2000 budget includes $68.1 million for the Department to press ahead with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan. The Department will also continue to lead the Administration's efforts to restore two priority watersheds, the Florida Everglades and California's Bay-Delta.
Since 1993, when the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force was established, over $955 million in Federal funds and $1.5 billion in State funds have been directed to this project, which is the largest watershed restoration effort ever undertaken. We recently completed negotiations to acquire the 50,000 acre Talisman properties and have issued a draft multi-species recovery plan addressing the habitat and individual needs of 68 listed species. In 2000, the Department's request for Everglades restoration totals $151.5 million, an increase of $7.4 million over 1999, which will support park and refuge operations, hydrologic modeling, multi-species recovery, research, land acquisition, and construction of the Modified Water Delivery Project for Everglades National Park.
The 2000 request for the Energy and Water Development bill also contains $75 million to continue implementation of the California Bay- Delta ecosystem restoration program and $20 million to initiate high priority activities to address water use efficiency, water quality, and watershed management issues.
Restoring Parks, Refuges and Public Lands. In NPS, FWS, BLM, and OSM increased funding is requested for operational programs in order to conduct restoration activities.
- NPS is requesting an increase of $25 million for management of natural resources which will accelerate efforts to acquire data on natural resources, completing all natural resource inventories in seven years. NPS will control 11,000 additional acres of exotic species annually (a 43 percent increase) and restore an additional 150 acres disturbed by mines, roads, and other facilities that are no longer in use. - For FWS, an increase of $18.1 million will fund habitat restoration projects on 200 refuges and eradication of invasive, nuisance species on 48 refuges. Planned projects will restore historic wetland habitat, endangered species habitat, and unique ecosystems. - BLM will dedicate an increase of $10.9 million to rangeland improvements and an aggressive weed control effort to sustain productive landscapes. - OSM is requesting $25.3 million to increase by 15 percent the reclamation of land damaged by past mining practices to productive use and to restore water resources contaminated by acid mine drainage.
The wildland fire program will promote ecosystem health, while lowering the risk of severe fires and long-term suppression costs.

In 2000, the request of $350.9 million will allow us to treat more than one million acres of land and reduce hazardous fuel loads, a tripling of effort since this program began.
Science. In 1996, we consolidated the science and technology functions of Interior. As a result, the USGS is able to provide a full spectrum of scientific expertise to the Department, other agencies, and the public. This multidisciplinary expertise is critical to the effectiveness of our land management and restoration programs supporting the development of advanced tools including modeling, decision support systems, and monitoring protocols. The 2000 budget includes $18.5 million in new funding to aggressively respond to the science needs of land management bureaus and provide the tools that are needed for wise stewardship of the landscape.
Restoring Species. The near extinction of the buffalo and the extinction of the passenger pigeon at the end of the 19th century brought an end to the American myth of endless abundance. As President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt created five national parks, four big game refuges, and 51 national bird reservations in order to preserve natural resources which were, in his view, an essential part of the American landscape and culture. As we approach the end of the 20th century, the importance of protecting and restoring ecosystems and individual species components of ecosystems is wide!v accepted. The Congress enacted landmark legislation including the Bald Eagle Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the African Elephant Conservation Act in recognition of the importance of protecting and recovering individual species as components of healthy, viable ecosystems.
Through partnerships with States, local communities, and non-profit groups, and expanded involvement with private landowners, the Department has been able to more effectively protect threatened and endangered species, while allowing economic development to proceed. The efforts of the FWS, Forest Service, and State of Nevada in the Spring Mountains exemplify our new approach to endangered species conservation. In these snow capped mountain ranges, these three agencies have come together to craft a conservation agreement that will safeguard 57 rare and sensitive species while accommodating the growing numbers of recreational visitors.
The 2300 budget includes $115 million for FWS endangered species operations, an increase of $24.1 million to expand the use of innovative tools that protect species and permit sound economic development. In partnership with States, local communities, non-profit groups and private landowners, FWS will utilize candidate conservation agreements to keep species off the list of threatened and endangered species, expand habitat conservation planning to allow economic development to proceed while protecting species on private lands, continue the no-surprises policy to assure private landowners that agreements jointly negotiated will be honored, conduct streamlined consultations, and increase Safe Harbor Agreements to ensure that community and species goals can be met. This operational funding level is supported by the request of $80 million for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund that I described earlier.
More than 160 parks provide important, protected habitat to restore endangered species. At least 168 Federally-listed species occur on NPS lands and are the subject of over 2,000 recovery tasks assigned to the National Park Service. Recovery tasks include wolf re-introduction in Yellowstone National Park, control of exotic species in Hawaiian parks, and public education and law enforcement patrols for endangered species collectors. The 2000 budget includes $4 million for native and exotic species management which will, in part, address recovery of species including the Kemp's ridley turtle and the black-footed ferret which depend on the National Park System for their survival.
In 1986 Congress enacted revisions to the Federal Power Act of 1920 that changed the relicensing process for the nation's 2,600 privately- owned hydroelectric dams. These changes required the consideration of fish and wildlife, energy conservation, and recreational opportunities, and have led to modifications in dam operations to increase stream flows, installation of fish passage facilities, and protection of local riparian lands. We successfully demonstrated the success of modifying dam operations to restore habitat and recreational uses without negatively impacting power and water use with the flooding of Glen Canyon Dam in 1996. The 2000 budget requests $7.6 million to restore native fisheries including acceleration of hydropower relicensing review activities. Through a collaborative process with dam operators and other stakeholders, FWS will use a balanced approach to address fisheries needs while meeting needs for power, agriculture, and recreation. A companion request of $3.9 million will fund on-the-ground restoration projects to be matched by organizations such as Trout Unlimited and $1 million for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's efforts in fisheries restoration.
Focus on Emerging Biological Problems. In 1915, the Sierra Nevada in California was filled with the sound of croaking frogs and toads. Biologists who surveyed the amphibians recorded one species, the western toad, as "exceedingly abundant." When researchers revisited the study sites in 1995, they recorded only one adult western toad and a small group of tadpoles. Amphibians are the "canary in the coal mine" for ecosystems, letting us know with their disappearance that something is wrong. The 2000 Interior budget proposes to increase funding by $8.1 million in order to investigate the causes for amphibian population declines. Called the "rain forests of the sea," coral reefs are one of the most biologically complex and diverse ecosystems on earth, providing habitat for one-third of all marine fish species. In addition, coral reefs provide a protective barrier for shorelines and are crucial to the tourism industries of many States and territories. President Clinton recently signed an Executive Order establishing the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to coordinate interagency efforts to protect and restore our coral reefs. The 2000 budget for Interior includes 57.2 million for coral reef protection, management, and restoration.
The geographic and ecological areas that encompass Alaska and Hawaii are unique and rich in natural resources. These areas share other common qualities in that they are remote and are home to species and habitats that are found nowhere else. In a focused program to address the unique problems and restoration challenges in Alaska and Hawaii, the Department is requesting $4.4 million to conduct natural resource protection and restoration activities, and expand public use and educational opportunities.
Safe Visits to Public Lands. The Department manages an extensive infrastructure to meet the needs of 379 million visitors to national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands. Well- maintained facilities are critical to the safe enjoyment of these visitors and to the safety of 45,000 employees and 53,000 students attending BIA schools. In 1999 the Department proposed an aggressive Safe Visits to Public Lands Initiative to improve management and accountability for the Department's infrastructure and focus funding on highest priority health and safety and resource protection needs.
The Department has developed a five-year plan that provides a framework for improved planning and management of maintenance and construction programs. The plan provides an improved understanding of the scope of deferred maintenance and a baseline to monitor progress toward correcting health and safety and resource deficiencies at Departmental facilities. In order to implement the plan, the Department's 2000 budget includes $910.1 million, including $555.8 million in maintenance and $354.3 million in construction, an increase of $51.2 million, or six percent, over 1999.
One final component of the restoration theme is the Save America's Treasures program. The Subcommittee worked with us last year to initiate a program that provides matching grants to public-private partnerships to preserve America's cultural treasures and increase opportunities for learning. The 2000 budget includes $30 million to continue this program. In addition, the 2000 budget includes $15 million for badly needed repairs to preserve structures of great historic significance at historically black colleges and universities and $5 million to develop a national digital library of records of American achievements in history and arts and sciences.
Seven Generations Into the Future and Past. When deliberating an issue, American Indians take into consideration lessons learned by past generations and the potential impact on future generations. This simple, yet sage approach provides an important framework for current policy decisions. The 2000 budget request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs is $1.9 billion, an increase of $155.6 million above the 1999 enacted level, providing increases for educational programs, school facility construction, law enforcement, natural resources management, and other priority funding needs.
Throughout Indian Country, children are learning in schools that present serious health and safety threats.

Many schools have leaky roofs, peeling paint, overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate heating and cooling systems that impede students' ability to learn. In spite of improved efficiencies, BIA's education repair needs are growing and now exceed $740 million. In 2000, the Administration is proposing a School Bonding Initiative that will provide $400 million in bonding issuance authority over two years. Tribal governments will be able to use this authority to issue bonds to investors who will receive tax credits for the life of the bond in lieu of interest. To help Tribes participate in this Initiative, $30 million is included in the BIA's 2000 budget request. The 2000 request also includes $75.9 million to replace Seba Dalkai School in Arizona and Fond Du Lac Ojibway School in Minnesota and to complete repair work at existing facilities.
An Executive Order on American Indian and Alaska Native Education sets forth six goals to improve academic performance and reduce the dropout rate for Indian students, including improved reading and mathematics, increased school completion, improved science education, and expanded use of education technology. The 2000 budget for School Operations includes an investment of $503.6 million in support of these goals, to cover increased costs for teachers, transportation of children to schools, and expanded operations to respond to a growing student population. The budget also provides a $7.1 million increase for operating grants to 28 tribally controlled community colleges. These colleges are a critical component of efforts to help Native Americans secure professional employment and promote entrepreneurship on reservations.
American Indians are victims of violent crimes at more than twice the rate of all U.S. residents, while tribal law enforcement receives only one-fourth the resources of comparable rural law enforcement agencies. In order to combat rising crime rates in Indian Country, a multi-year program was initiated in 1999, implementing a plan developed by Interior and the Department of Justice, in collaboration with tribal governments. The 1999 appropriation provided $20 million for BIA and $89 million in Justice grant funding to begin to improve tribal law enforcement programs. The 2000 budget includes $20 million increase for the second year of this initiative, which will allow BIA to increase the number of criminal investigators and uniformed police, upgrade radio systems, and strengthen detention center services. The Department of Justice is requesting $124.2 million in 2000 to strengthen law enforcement programs and direct funding to drug testing and treatment, juvenile justice, assistance to tribal courts, and detention center construction.
A close spiritual and cultural connection exists among the buffalo, American Indians, and the ecosystem of the plains. For thousands of years the buffalo took care of Indian people, providing warmth, food, and a way of life. Tribes are reestablishing herds of buffalo, and over the last ten years have created hundreds of jobs by raising buffalo. To strengthen tribal efforts to bring back the buffalo, a $1 million increase is requested in the 2000 budget to be used to support tribal buffalo programs, rangeland management, and related economic and development efforts.
Tribal Trust Management Improvement. One of the highest priorities of the Administration is to successfully resolve the Indian trust fund management problems that have accumulated over the last 70 years. I have committed to clean up this problem on my watch. Significant progress has already been achieved as the Office of the Special Trustee has initiated action to replace key systems for lease management, accounts receivable, land records, and trust resources management, and is installing an accounting system.
The 2000 budget requests $100 million to continue the implementation of trust management improvements, which will provide an increase of $50.5 million for trust reform activities. The budget includes $10 million for continued implementation of the Indian Land Consolidation Project, which will commence on three reservations in 1999. The 2000 budget increase of $5 million will allow the pilot program to be expanded to one more reservation in 2000. Beginning in 2000 we will make a significant change in the budgetary classification of tribal trust funds, approximately $2.1 billion of tribal trust funds will be reclassified as non-budgetary, similar to the classification of individual Indian money accounts.
Conclusion. I believe that the 2000 budget for the Department of the Interior sets a bold, new direction for the new millennium and the next 150 years of operation of this Department. I look forward to working with you on this budget and resolving the challenges that come our way throughout the year.
This concludes my statement. ! will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
END

LOAD-DATE: April 24, 1999

Document 33 of 118.


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