To: National Desk/Environmental Reporter
May 11,
2000
Landmark Wildlife & Conservation Legislation
Approved By U.S. House;
"The Conservation &
Reinvestment Act" (H.R. 701)
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved landmark bipartisan legislation which will increase funding for federal and state conservation, wildlife and recreation.
The "Conservation and Reinvestment Act" (CARA) - H.R.701 - was approved by a 315 to 102 vote. The legislation now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
"This is truly a historic day for our nation's conservation and recreation programs," said U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the House Committee on Resources who sponsored the legislation along with Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Billy Tauzin (R-LA), John Dingell (D-MI), Chris John (D-LA) and others.
"On a bipartisan basis this Congress has approved one of the most comprehensive conservation bills in decades. I'm hopeful the Senate will continue this bipartisan effort and approve this landmark legislation."
Funding for the important programs under CARA would be derived from a portion of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues. CARA would provide annual dedicated funding for the following:
| Program | Annual Funding Level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Impact Assistance & Coastal Conservation | $1 billion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title I creates a revenue sharing and coastal conservation fund for coastal states and eligible local governments to mitigate the various impacts of OCS activities and provide funds for the conservation of our coastal ecosystems. These funds will support sustainable development of nonrenewable resources without providing incentives for new oil and gas development. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Revitalization | $900 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title II guarantees stable and annual funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at its authorized $900 million level. This dedicated funding would provide for both the state and federal programs included in the LWCF, while protecting the rights of private property owners. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wildlife Conservation & Restoration Fund | $350 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title III, through the successful program of Pittman-Robertson, reinvests the development of nonrenewable resources into a renewable resource of wildlife conservation and education. This new source of funding will nearly double the Federal funds available for wildlife conservation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Urban Park & Recreation Recovery (UPARR) | $125 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title IV provides matching grants to local governments to rehabilitate recreation areas and facilities, provides for the development of improved recreation programs, sites and facilities. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Historic Preservation Fund | $100 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title V provides funding for the programs of the Historic Preservation Act, including grants to the States, maintaining the National Register of Historic Places, and administering numerous historic preservation programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal & Indian Lands Restoration | $200 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title VI provides funding for a coordinated program on Federal and Indian lands to restore degraded lands, protect resources that are threatened with degradation, and protect public health and safety. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservation Easements & Species Recovery | $150 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title VII provides annual and dedicated funding for conservation easements and funding for landowner incentives to aid in the recovery of endangered and threatened species. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payment In-Lieu of Taxes & Refuge Revenue Sharing | $200 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Up to $200 million of the annual interest generated from the CARA Fund will match, dollar for dollar, the amount appropriated during the Congressional Appropriations process. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information, please check the House Committee on Resources Home Page at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/
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