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Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal 2001 and our efforts here in the Senate to enact the Conservation and Reinvestment Act to provide permanent funding for land, water, and wildlife conservation programs in this nation.
With the passage of the Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2001, we have taken a step in the right direction toward providing a permanent conservation fund for this nation--but it is only a step.
The Interior Appropriations bill funds many important programs and projects in Arkansas including refurbishing the historic Hot Springs National Park Bathhouses, constructing a visitors center at the White River National Wildlife Refuge, and funding needed construction and maintenance at recreation areas in the Ouachita National Forest.
The bill also increases the funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Payments in Lieu of Taxes, Urban and Historic Preservation programs, State Conservation grants. And needed funding for tackling the maintenance backlog in our nation's park system. But it leaves many of the programs that we have pushed for in the Conservation and Reinvestment Act out completely. Specifically, it leaves out a permanent stream of funding for wildlife conservation and education programs.
By establishing a permanent funding source for state based wildlife programs, we can take steps now to prevent species from becoming endangered. This would enable us not only to conserve the significant cultural heritage of wildlife enjoyment for the people of this country, but also to avoid the substantial costs associated with recovery for endangered species. In fact, all 50 states would benefit as a result of the important link between these wildlife education-based initiatives and the benefits of wildlife-related tourism.
CARA also would have provided a permanent funding source for rural community assistance and development funds, historic preservation, urban parks, conservation easements, and restoration of National Parks. These provisions would annually provide almost $3 billion nationwide for land, water, and wildlife conservation programs and include over $25 million in funding for Arkansas.
The 2001 Interior Appropriations bill is an important step toward providing for the conservation of this nation's land, water, and wildlife, but we can do so much more. We must not let this opportunity slip away to enact what may well be the most significant conservation effort of the century. I strongly urge my colleagues to continue to work toward passage of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act.
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