"A Welcome Step Forward"

National Wildlife Federation Analysis of H.R. 701
The Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999

"The bipartisan framework for landmark, long-term conservation funding is now in place," National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Mark Van Putten said of today's adoption in committee of the newly revised version of H.R. 701 introduced by Reps. Don Young (R-AK), House Resources Committee Chairman, and George Miller (D-CA), Ranking Committee Minority Member.

"While this is a welcome step forward," Van Putten continued, "it is a benchmark, not an end point. We still have a ways to go, but this bill puts the goal clearly in sight. From this framework, we can secure a legacy of wildlife and wild places that will enrich our nation's life for generations to come. We are committed to working with this Congress and the Administration to make that legacy a reality."

The bill passed the Committee on a vote of 37 to 12.

The National Wildlife Federation prepared the following analysis of the legislation.

ADVANCES OVER CURRENT LAW

• Provides approximately $2.4 billion annually, automatically for the next 11 years for the following programs: coastal conservation, stateside Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), state wildlife agencies, urban parks (UPARR), historic preservation, federal and tribal land restoration, easements, endangered species, Payment in Lieu of Taxes fund (PILT), and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
• New conservation programs established for federal and Tribal land restoration, easements, and endangered species recovery efforts.
• Stateside LWCF, UPARR, and historic preservation programs are revitalized.
• Substantial infusion of new funds into state wildlife programs.
• Sets precedent for automatic conservation appropriations and use of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas drilling lease funds for more than just LWCF.

PROVISIONS OF CONCERN

• Creates a direct link between offshore drilling and amount of revenue received by drilling states and their municipalities (for municipalities there is also a link between amount of revenue and number of oil refineries); this could create an incentive for increased offshore drilling and onshore development of refineries. Willing seller requirements under federal side of LWCF may hinder some land acquisitions.

UNMET GOALS/MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

• Funding for all programs available for only 11 years, funding will not begin until fiscal year 2003, expires in 2015.
• No requirement that federal LWCF funds be expended annually.
• Nothing to require that states emphasize nongame species in the expenditure of these funds; state wildlife agencies not required to develop or implement comprehensive state-wide plans that address the needs of all species.
• Unless modified, the easement title will not necessarily lead to the protection of farmland, ranchland, and forested lands; Forest Legacy is not funded by this bill.
• No progress has been made in the effort to improve LWCF to allow for unique and substantial land acquisitions under the state-side component of LWCF; these improvements would have facilitated the acquisition of significant, one-time-only parcels, such as those now for sale in the northeast.

CONCLUSION

Despite the significant advances over current law, the unmet goals and areas of concern will need to be addressed before this bill will garner the widespread support it needs to become law. Nonetheless, we have actively supported the Committee's action on this bill because it is an essential step in a much longer legislative process. There will be many additional opportunities to improve the bill and we will continue to advocate strongly for necessary changes.