Dear Colleague:

We want to invite you to join a bipartisan, multi-regional effort to create a new legacy in resource conservation for the 21st Century. Today, we will be reintroducing The Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 (CARA 99), which would renew our Nation's commitment to reinvesting non-renewable resource revenues into conservation, wildlife enhancement, and coastal restoration.

CARA would dedicate 60% of the bonuses, rents and royalties from federal outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas leases to accomplish three goals:

• Share an equitable portion of OCS revenues with coastal states;
• Provide a means to permanently meet federal responsibilities by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) while ensuring a dedicated funding stream for the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR);
• Provide funding for wildlife by expanding the reach of the successful and popular Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson).

Pie Chart of Proposed Distribution of OCS Receipts

OCS revenues currently generate approximately $4 billion each year. We believe that revenue derived from this national asset should not be used for recurring expenditures but should instead be reinvested into initiatives which provide long-term benefits for future generations of Americans. Our proposal directs that a portion of these revenues be dedicated to create a coastal impact assistance fund; full funding for the federal and state-side of the LWCF; more than $100 million for UPARR; and, funding for federal and state agencies to protect wildlife and their habitat.

CARA tries to address several of the financial difficulties and political realities which have prevented the enactment of a comprehensive conservation initiative during the past decade. CARA provides no incentives for new offshore drilling and has no impact on the current federal leasing moratoria, does not assume the creation of excise taxes to fund wildlife programs, and does not infringe upon the private property rights of private landowners. While the budgetary offsets for this proposal are still being determined, we are certain that sensible budgetary solutions will follow sound policy choices.

We invite you and your staff to review our proposal and join us as an original cosponsor. If you or your staff have any questions please contact Mike Henry (House Resources Committee/5-9297), Dan Beattie (Rep. Dingell/5-4071), Garret Graves (Rep. Tauzin/5-4031), Fraser Verrusio (Rep. Baker/53901) or Gordon Taylor (Rep. John/5-2031).

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