The drive for substantial, long-term conservation funding drew
strength today as Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MI) and
Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) announced their intention to
enact the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) "as soon as
possible."
"The Senate leadership is on the right course to do the right
thing for America's wildlife and wild places," said Mark Van Putten,
President of the National Wildlife Federation. "Delivering on CARA
will achieve the greatest victory in a generation for wildlife, open
space and outdoor recreation."
The CARA support announced by the Senate leaders came as the
House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill including a
watered-down measure containing none of CARA's guaranteed funding
provisions. "CARA is the genuine article," Van Putten said. "The
measure that moved in the House today is no substitute for CARA.
It's a basket of promises that only might be redeemed in the future,
not the guaranteed investment that CARA will provide.
"Make no mistake about it," Van Putten said, "CARA is not dead;
it's alive and well. Those who are already celebrating the
watered-down version as a major accomplishment should think twice
before settling for less than CARA's truly landmark funding the
American public deserves."
In a letter written Monday Sens. Lott and Daschle write to House
Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), "to let you know of our continuing
efforts to secure enactment of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act
(CARA) during the 106th Congress." Sens. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), CARA's chief Senate co-sponsors, also signed
the letter.
Title VIII of the Interior Department appropriations bill that
passed the House today contains a conservation funding plan that
includes funding of $686 million for the current fiscal year, and
authorizes additional spending that could cumulatively total $12
billion over the next five years. The conference report on the bill,
however, emphasizes, "The program is not mandatory and does not
guarantee annual appropriations."
CARA, as passed in the House in May and approved by the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee in July, provides nearly $3
billion in guaranteed annual appropriations, most of the funds
flowing directly to the states and communities, each year for the
next 15 years, all paid for by offshore oil and gas drilling lease
receipts.
The substantive differences between CARA and the appropriations
plan are nowhere clearer than in the investment they would provide
to state wildlife agencies. CARA would guarantee $350 million
annually to be proportioned equitably among the wildlife agencies in
every state. The appropriations plan would provide $50 million this
year to be competitively allocated to the states by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and future funding would be subject to annual
congressional appropriations. "CARA's reliable, long-term funding is
essential for the states to plan for and carry out the work needed
for wildlife conservation," Van Putten said.
"Now is no time for faint hearts to be diverted from CARA," Van
Putten said. "We can win this victory. We applaud Sen. Lott and his
colleagues and call on them to follow through on their commitment to
enact CARA this year."
