February 3, 1999 -- Congressman Robert A. Underwood said President Clinton's Fiscal Year
2000 trillion-dollar budget request, unveiled in Washington today, contains millions for states and
territories bounded by oceans and reefs.

"Under the Department of Commerce's National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA, there is $10 million in the Lands Legacy Initiative for the restoration of coral reef ecosystems. There's also $2 million to help carry out Oceans 2000, the President's initiative addressing ocean resources. In addition to this, there's $1 million in Interior's Office of Insular Affairs budget to help address coral reef problems," the Congressman said. "The vast majority of this money will be made available as grants to states and territories.

"Although we sometimes take it for granted, since the reef surrounds us and it's part of everyday life for us, it's important to understand that the ocean's coral reefs are viewed like tropical rain forests on land. They provide a way to understand how the whole ecosystem fits together and they provide a way to gauge the overall health of our environment -- whether it is thriving or whether it is in degradation. I think the President understands this and we're happy to see that he is putting money into this effort. Again, this goes back to the commitment the President made to us in Guam in November, as well as those he made at the Oceans conference in Monterey last June, which both Lieutenant Governor (Madeleine) Bordallo and I also participated in," the Congressman added.

Congressman Underwood said the Interior budget included a half-million dollar increase in the
brown tree snake funding, from $2.1 to $2.6 million. He expects Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hi) to
add another million from the Department of Defense budget to go toward containment of the snake
problem. "My concern is that we continue to spend money on researching ways to contain the snake population on Guam, as opposed to diminishing the population on Guam. I'm hoping that the research will find a way to start eradicating the snakes," Underwood said.

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