WASHINGTON -- Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski today steered the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, clearing the bill for possible full Senate consideration early in the fall. The measure passed by a vote of 13-7.

"This is the most significant commitment of resources made to conservation ever," said Murkowski following the committee vote, emphasizing its importance for hunters and fishermen.

"This legislation provides a dependable source of funding for several very important federal programs and preserves the constitutional role of Congress in determining the use of federal funds. I want members to understand that future funding under this legislation is fully under the control of Congress, and Congress will have to act affirmatively to appropriate funds each and every year as we do now," said Murkowski.

The $2.99 billion measure rights an injustice to coastal states with offshore production of oil and gas. "My original legislation was very simple. It sought to provide assistance to coastal states and their local communities to deal with the costs they absorb and at the same time provide for a steady and dependable source of funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and wildlife program assistance to the states. The substitute amendment that Senator (Jeff) Bingaman and I agreed on includes much more," he said.

The bill for the first time would fully fund the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, providing $325 million a year to local communities and boroughs to offset the loss of revenue from non-taxable federal land in local jurisdictions.

Under the bill Alaska would receive about $164 million a year -- the largest source of federal funding, outside the federal highway trust fund. The state's revenues from PILT would rise to $22 million a year, from the current $9 million, while $17 million would go to fish and wildlife programs to aid hunters and fishermen -- a particularly important provision for Alaska.

Murkowski said CARA ensures that as this country depletes its non-renewable resources of oil and gas, the money earned from those resources are reinvested in all 50 states to renew, refurbish and recreate. Some $805 million goes to coastal states for a variety of uses including infrastructure needs resulting from OCS production including fisheries needs.

The state-side portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be put back into full play with states and localities able to fund recreational activities for families with a 50-50 matching grant program.

"We restore and protect part of our heritage under titles like Historic Preservation and Restoration of National Park Service and Indian Lands, and we find new ways to assist communities in the Urban and Community Forestry program. In cooperation with State Foresters, this program will encourage tree planting, hazardous fuel reduction and thinning," explained Murkowski.

"And we address rural communities with three development programs. Jobs for youth in the Youth Conservation Corps; Rural Development and Rural Community Assistance, which helps areas dependent on one industry learn to diversify their economy; and finally, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT) that is fully funded under this bill," said Murkowski.

Addressing the concerns of some of the Western State members, Murkowski said there is virtually no funding for any federal land acquisition in this proposal aside from the federal land portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. And he stressed that the LWCF federal land acquisition portion of the $450 million is only slightly above the average appropriation level for the past five years, and only accounts for 15 percent of the total funding in the bill.

"Over the past five years, the average level of appropriations for federal land acquisition has been $418 million. So far this Congress, this committee has reported legislation that is conservatively estimated to add an additional $330 million to that total."

Murkowski stressed, "There is no default provision that would give the Executive Branch any funding (for land acquisition) in the absence of congressional action."

He added that the bill is dependent on revenues from a healthy Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing program -- an important fact for a coastal state like Alaska.

As passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee CARA funds the following programs.

• Coastal Impact Assistance to the seven states that support oil and gas production on the OCS in order to address resulting infrastructure needs ($430 million);

• Assistance to all coastal states to address coastal, marine and fisheries needs ($350 million);

• Coral Reef Restoration and protection ($25 million);

• Federal-side of the Land and Water Conservation Fund that provides money for the authorized acquisition of land by the land management agencies ($450 million);

• State-side of the Land and Water Conservation Fund that provides 50/50 matching funds for the planning and development t o State and local parks and recreation facilities ($450 million);

• State Wildlife Programs for the benefit of game and non-game species, and their habitats ($350 million);

• Urban Park and Recreation Recovery to rehabilitate and develop recreation facilities in cities ($75 million);

• Urban and Community Forestry to assist communities, through their State foresters, with forest management including tree planting, hazardous fuel reduction and thinning ($50 million);

• Historic Preservation Program that supports the preservation and restoration of historic properties ($150 million);

• Restoration of National Park Service and Indian lands ($125 million);

• Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program that provides 50/50 matching funds to States and local governments to protect farm and ranch land threatened with development ($50 million);

• Forestry Legacy Program that provides State grants to keep timber land threatened with development in production ($50 million);

• Youth Conservation Corps Program that provides jobs to young adults on public lands ($60 million); and

• Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT) that compensates communities for the effect of federal lands that are exempt from local taxes ($325 million).

MEDIA NOTE: there will be a satellite feed of comments by Sen. Murkowski on the bill, footage of the actual committee vote to report the bill and additional comments from other Senators. The feed will also include a bit of testimony by the Senator in support of his pilot age bill (See related release). The feed will be from 1:30 to 1:45 p.m. ADT this afternoon on Telestar 5, transponder 16H, channel 16, downlink 4020. Audio will be available in a couple of hours by calling 1-800-545 1267 then pressing 322. Digital audio is available on the web at: www.Senate.gov/SRC/radio/murkowski (.)