1. APPROPRIATIONS:

• Appropriations Process Overview

• Extinction Riders Attached to Energy and Water Bill

• Senate Passes Agriculture Appropriations Bill

• Senate Passes Interior Spending Bill with more Riders

2. WILDLIFE & WILDLANDS:

• Senate Energy Committee Passes CARA

• House Passes Wildlands and Wildlife Bills by Voice Vote

• House Panel Moves Cormorant Bill to Full Resources Committee

• House Committee Passes Hunting Heritage Protection Act

CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR

APPROPRIATIONS

• APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS OVERVIEW

  Before leaving for the summer recess, the House passed the Defense Appropriations Conference Report. Including last week’s action on the District of Columbia (H.R. 4942) and Treasury (H.R. 4871), and Foreign Operations (H.R. 4811) appropriations bills, 12 of the 13 annual spending bills have now been passed by the House. In the past two weeks, the Senate passed the Interior (H.R. 4578), Agriculture (S.2536), Legislative Branch (S. 2603) and Foreign Operations (S. 2522) Appropriations bills before adjourning. So far the Senate has passed 8 of the 13 appropriations bills. The full Senate has yet to pass the Commerce, Justice, and State Department, the District of Columbia, Energy and Water, Treasury and Postal and VA-HUD Appropriations bills. VA-HUD and the District of Columbia Appropriations bills are still waiting action by the Senate Appropriations Committee. For a current list of the status of all 13 federal appropriations bills click here: http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/appover.html

• EXTINCTION RIDERS ATTACHED TO ENERGY AND WATER SPENDING BILL

  The Senate is still looking for a way to resolve a hold put on the Energy and Water Appropriations bill by Sen. Thomas Daschle (D-SD) over a rider by Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) that would block U.S. Corps of Engineers’ management efforts to restore habitat crucial to the recovery and survival and endangered and threatened species on the Missouri River. No resolution of the dispute which erupted last week appears imminent and consideration of the bill could well end up being postponed until September. The Energy and Water spending bill also contains a rider attached by Sen. Peter Domenici (R-NM) which would result in the extinction of the wild population of the Rio Grande silvery minnow. Senator Bond's rider blocks funding for the Corps of Engineers' Master Manual revision which would increase spring water release out of the Gavins Point Dam. Increased spring flows are necessary to provide a reproductive cue for the endangered pallid sturgeon and to build sandbars for the endangered interior least tern and the threatened piping plover. All river science clearly points to the need for a spring rise to help recover these species. The rider is a blatant attempt to circumvent the Endangered Species Act and block necessary flow changes on the Missouri River. Senator Domenici's rider prevents the Bureau of Reclamation from making emergency water releases to save the wild populations of the silvery minnow. This rider could well be the death knell for the Rio Grande silvery minnow if enacted since the portions where the minnow resides have already started to go intermittent. With 95% of the remaining wild population stranded in a small stretch of the river, a continuing drought and no supplemental water in sight, a dry river will lead to the extinction of the minnow this summer. The recent "Statement of Administration Policy" (SAP) on the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill states that the Administration "strongly objects" to the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Rider and the Missouri River rider. "Because of these issues [among others], if this bill were presented to the President in this form, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto it." As of late last night, Senator Domenici and U.S. Department of Interior secretary Bruce Babbitt have announced an agreement to refrain from asserting control over water control facilities on the Rio Grande River to prevent the extinction of the silvery minnow. With his concerns regarding these complicated water use issues addressed, Senator Dominici says he intends to drop his rider from the Energy and Water Appropriations bill when the Senate considers the bill in September. Send a free e-mail to your Senators on this issue through the DEN Action Center now!

• SENATE PASSES AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  On 7/20, the Senate passed the FY'01 Agriculture Appropriations bill (S. 2536) by a 79-13 margin after dropping one anti-environmental rider, neutralizing another and including a controversial rider which would undermine the new Interior Department 3809 regulations which strengthen environmental protections for hardrock mining. Senator Richard Durbin's (D-IL) fight to remove the hardrock mining rider was turned back on a 56-36 vote. The mining rider and funding for key programs has prompted the administration to threaten a veto of the bill in its present form. Prior to consideration by the full Senate, a rider to block the administration from making any reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers was dropped. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) successfully neutralized a harmful rider added by Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) by substituting language that calls for a study of a range of alternatives beyond the construction of two damaging jetties offshore of North Carolina’s Oregon inlet and strikes language transferring land from Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the Corps. For a current list of all anti-environmental riders attached to appropriations and other bills click here: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/riders/riders.html

• SENATE PASSES INTERIOR SPENDING BILL WITH MORE RIDERS

  The Senate finally passed the FY'01 Interior Appropriations bill on Tuesday ,7/18 after more than a week of contentious debate on the various riders and amendments including various breaks to consider other legislation and spending bills. While the Senate largely steered clear of adding new riders from the floor, there was virtually no progress in removing the 15 riders already on the bill, a situation that in itself warrants a presidential veto given the Statement on Administration Policy circulated last week. The bill (H.R. 4578, S. Rpt. 106-312) passed on a 97 to 2 vote and provides $15.47 billion for the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service and various other government programs. During the floor debate last week, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) made an eloquent and impassioned effort to strike the very harmful grazing rider from the bill. Unfortunately, the Senate voted by a 62-38 margin to reject Senator Durbins' motion to strike the grazing rider which automatically renews permits for grazing on federal lands if the regular renewal process -- which includes an environmental impact statement -- can not be completed before the expiration of the existing permit. The Senate did pass a rider requiring the Interior and Agriculture Departments to identify the fire threat posed by national forests near urban and developed areas across the and boosted funding for removal of hazardous fuels (which includes logging) in those areas by allowing the agencies to use up to $240.3 million in emergency funds. This rider, which uses the threat of wildfire to increase the timber harvest budget, came as a result of a deal cut with Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) who backed away from his rider to stop the President's roadless initiative in order to support this particular. In contrast, the Senate rejected by a 54 to 45 margin an amendment by Senators Richard Bryan (D-NV) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) to reduce the Forest Service timber sale budget by $30 million and increase the wildland fire management budget by $15 million (the other $15 million would go to debt reduction). In general, most Senators seemed more concerned with keeping new riders off the bill than the very limited efforts to remove riders already on the bill from the committee mark ups, especially those, like the grazing rider, that had been on previous spending bills. In other action, the Senate defeated on a narrow 50 to 49 vote a rider by Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) to prevent any more presidential designations of national monuments without congressional approval. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate minority whip, was instrumental in rallying enough votes to persuade Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) to withdraw his rider designed to block a National Park Service decision to prohibit the use of snowmobiles in most national parks. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) did get approval for an amendment that provides $5 million to bolster efforts in their state to protect and conserve the Atlantic salmon and possibly forestall the listing of the fish under the Endangered Species Act. For a current list of all anti-environmental riders attached to appropriations and other bills click here: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/riders/riders.html

WILDLIFE AND WILDLANDS

• SENATE ENERGY COMMITTEE PASSES CARA

  After four days of grueling debate, the Energy Committee Tuesday voted 13 to 7 to adopt the nearly $3-billion Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) compromise package brokered by committee chair, Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and ranking Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Three Republicans joined Murkowski in reporting the bill, Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR), Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) while all the committee's Democrats voted in favor of the measure. The legislation dedicates revenues from federal offshore oil and gas leasing for impact aid to coastal states, and provides $450 million annually for federal land acquisition, as well as funding for state and local parks and recreation, open space preservation, wildlife habitat, historic preservation, forestry and farmland conservation, and youth conservation corps programs. Throughout the markup, the bill's supporters were able to fend off the worst hostile amendments from western Republicans. Getting the bill out of committee without poison pill amendments that in all likelihood would have killed it was considered a major political achievement and minor miracle considering the vehement opposition from some members of the committee. The bill still faces a potential filibuster from a small number of opponents on the Senate floor and while there would likely be enough support in the Senate to overcome the filibuster, there may not be enough time to deal with the related procedural hurdles. Even if the bill does not come to the Senate floor when Congress returns from its summer recess, it is now widely seen as a viable vehicle that will play a prominent role in the final budget negotiations. However, there are some still critically needed improvements sought by Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups. Among the needed fixes are: the removal of incentives for new offshore drilling; the prevention of coastal funding from being used for environmentally harmful infrastructure; and inclusion for funding for endangered species recovery. Groups are also hoping to retain improvements already made to the Senate bill that assure that land acquisition funds will be fully spent without new restrictions and the guarantee that wildlife funding will be strategically used to benefit all wildlife species. For more information on the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) click here:  http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/lands/landslegacy.html

• HOUSE PASSES WILDLANDS AND WILDLIFE BILLS BY VOICE VOTE

  The House passed a number of bills awaiting action under suspension of the rules. These included H.R. 3676, to establish the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The bill moved by voice vote after the sponsor Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) reached a compromise over property rights language with fellow California Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA). The Administration opposes this bill because of the Pombo language and other provisions that would restrict the government's ability to manage these lands in an environmentally responsible manner. H.R. 4275, also passed by a voice vote, establishes the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area and the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. H.R. 2348, which authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to provide cost sharing for the endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins was also passed. Additionally, H.R. 4320, the Great Ape Conservation Act which authorizes funding for conservation of the endangered primates passed. To look up detailed information on these bills (i.e., bill text, legislative history, and cosponsors) click here: http://thomas.loc.gov/

• HOUSE PANEL MOVES CORMORANT BILL TO FULL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

  H.R. 3118, a bill that directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that authorizes states to establish hunting seasons for double-crested cormorants passed by a voice vote in the Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee and will be considered by the full committee in the near future. Defenders of Wildlife, animal rights and other environmental groups strongly oppose the bill. Cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty, which bans hunting of protected migratory birds. Cormorants were ravaged by exposure to DDT and other pesticides and their population collapsed. With the treaty, and a ban on DDT they have bounced back and now the aquaculture and fishing industry wants to begin to lethal control programs. To look up detailed information on this bill (i.e., bill text, legislative history, and cosponsors) click here: http://thomas.loc.gov/

• HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE PASSES HUNTING HERITAGE PROTECTION ACT

  The Hunting Heritage Protection Act, H.R. 4790, would require all federal lands be open to hunting unless they have been closed to hunting by federal statute. It also requires a "no net loss" of areas open to hunting which would require federal agencies to open an area to hunting for each area that it closes. Some environmental groups are concerned that the opening of additional federal lands to hunting would divert resources from other federal programs, including those designed to protect wildlife and wilderness, and erode Fish and Wildlife Services’ ability to regulate hunting in cases where it conflicts with other management objectives on national wildlife refuges. Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) introduced this bill which is co-sponsored by seven other members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus This bill is opposed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, and the Humane Society of the United States. Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK) hopes to move this legislation to the House floor in September.

• SENATE COMMITTEE PASSES BEAR PROTECTION ACT

  This week, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed the Bear Protection Act without any weakening amendments. S. 1109, sponsored by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) , prohibits trade in bear viscera and other bear body parts. Because of the demand in Asia for bear parts, Asian bear populations have been decimated, causing poachers to increasingly turn to American bears with an estimated 40,000 bears legally killed each year in the U.S. and Canada with an equal number illegally poached. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill sometime in September. The House version is currently pending in three different committees. Send a free e-mail to your Senators on this issue through the DEN Action Center now!

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