The National Wildlife Federation urges you to join us in supporting CARA and promoting passage of a landmark conservation law for the 21st century.

Efforts to protect and restore our nation's natural and cultural treasures have always been hindered by limited funding. Every year, open spaces and wild lands are lost because funds were unavailable to protect the land through the purchase of conservation easements or, when appropriate, the acquisition of the lands. Similarly, each year underfunded wildlife programs are unable to be pro-active, while the populations of once-abundant species decline. At long last, Congress is considering landmark legislation that would establish an automatic, reliable source of funding to address these and other vital conservation needs.

The Senate version of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) is an historic conservation proposal that would, for the first time, automatically set aside revenues from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to provide desperately needed funding for an assortment of vital conservation programs. CARA would provide nearly $3 billion annually until 2015 for conservation efforts including: coastal conservation, open space protection, state wildlife conservation, urban parks (UPARR) and forestry, outdoor recreation, historic preservation, federal land restoration, tribal conservation efforts, conservation easements, and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes fund (PILT).

NWF's Support for Conservation Funding

The National Wildlife Federation supports the Senate version of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act and strongly urges Senators to move this critical funding legislation forward. NWF played a leading role to secure passage H.R. 701, the House version of CARA, out of the U.S. House of Representatives by a resounding, bi-partisan vote of 315 to 102. A unique opportunity exists this year to create a conservation legacy for generations to come, and NWF will continue its pro-active support as the Senate version of CARA moves forward. Like most legislation, this bill could be strengthened, and NWF will be working to improve the bill as it moves forward. We urge the Senate to build upon the momentum from the House and pass legislation this year that would make a substantial and reliable investment in the conservation of our nation's wildlife, coastal resources, and open spaces.

Where would the money go?

Annual funding for the programs authorized in CARA would be available without further appropriation although funds for Federal land conservation projects could not be spent unless approved in an Appropriations Act and funding for the other programs in the bill would not be available until the $450 million available for federal land conservation is approved.

Coastal Programs:

• $430 million - OCS Impact Assistance available only to the states with OCS development to mitigate the harmful impacts of drilling.
• $350 million - Ocean and Coast Conservation Fund to 35 coastal states for coastal conservation, research and enforcement. These programs are administered by the Department of Commerce.
• $25 million - Coral Reef Protection

Land & Water Conservation Fund:

• $450 million - State-side LWCF - for state conservation and recreation programs.
• $450 million - Federal-side LWCF - for federal land conservation.

Wildlife:

• $350 million to state fish and wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation, recreation and education projects with priority given to species with the greatest conservation need. Provides funds to Native American tribes for wildlife conservation efforts.

Urban Programs:

• $75 million for urban park and recreation systems;
• $50 million for urban and community forestry.

Historic Preservation Fund:

• $150 million to support the protection of historic properties and to manage national heritage areas and national heritage corridors.
• $15 million dedicated to American Battlefield Protection Program.

National Park and Indian Land Restoration:

• $100 million to the National Park Service for protection of natural, cultural and historic resources;
• $25 million for Tribal Lands Restoration.

Conservation Easements:

• $50 million for the Forest Legacy Program.
• $50 million for Farm and Ranchland Protection.

Other Programs:

• $110 million for Youth Conservation Corps and Forest Service Rural Development and Economic Action Programs.

Payment in Lieu of Taxes: $325 million (estimated)

Total: $2.99 billion.

A Sound, Affordable Investment

The federal government collects billions of dollars annually from private companies that pay for the opportunity to extract oil and gas from offshore reserves on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). CARA uses a portion of these federal revenues for local, state, and federal conservation programs. The logic behind the bill's financing is simple and sensible – revenues derived from the exploitation of the nation's non-renewable oil and gas resources should be reinvested in the protection and restoration of renewable natural resources such as our wildlife, public lands, and coasts. CARA will not require any new taxes; it simply relies upon a portion of the nearly $4.5 billion that the federal government already receives annually (on average) from private OCS leases.

Benefits of CARA:

CARA provides a tremendous infusion of reliable funding to new and existing conservation programs. Providing $2.99 billion annually at the local, state, and federal levels would contribute greatly to efforts being made to protect our valuable natural resources and improve the quality of life for future generations. This funding would help protect open space against sprawl and development; allow state fish and wildlife agencies to develop comprehensive wildlife conservation programs; provide increased outdoor recreation opportunities; protect and conserve sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems; and preserve important historical sites.

CARA sets an important precedent for creating automatic, long-term funding for conservation purposes. Historically, conservation programs have struggled to receive adequate financial support in the annual Congressional appropriations process. This legislative proposal would finally provide a reliable source of revenue for these important programs. Although CARA only provides this funding through 2015, it lays the groundwork for creating a truly permanent conservation funding source.

CARA expands the concept that revenues derived from the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources should be reinvested in conservation programs beyond the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The idea of "giving back to nature" was the underlying principle of the original Land and Water Conservation Fund – but it was never fully realized. These conservation funding proposals would fulfill the promise of LWCF and broaden the funding for other critical conservation needs.

The Senate version of CARA would provide substantial new funding prioritized for wildlife species with the greatest conservation need and guidelines for establishing state wildlife conservation strategies. The majority of the nation's wildlife species are nongame species (i.e. those that are neither hunted or fished, nor threatened or endangered), but typically these species receive nominal funding. New provisions included in the Senate version of CARA would ensure that the needs of these nongame species would be met. In addition, it ensures that states will develop conservation strategies that will enable them to be more pro-active in the conservation of all wildlife species.

The Senate version of CARA assures that funding for Federal land conservation under the Land and Water Conservation will be not be unduly hindered while continuing to protect private property rights. CARA would allow Congress to approve all new acquisitions under the Federal LWCF program and assures that acquisition is done on a willing seller basis. In addition, the Senate version includes new provisions that would assure that all Federal LWCF funds be spent every year and that the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program will be fully funded.. How CARA Should be Improved:

The National Wildlife Federation supports CARA and strongly encourages the Senate to move this historic proposal forward. Several modifications were made that have improved the legislation substantially but there are a few remaining concerns that should be addressed. Specifically, the National Wildlife Federation advocates the following improvements to CARA:

CARA should assure that coastal impact assistance funds will be used primarily for marine and coastal conservation activities rather than potentially damaging infrastructure development. Currently, states and municipalities receiving coastal impact assistance funds under Title I of CARA could use 23% of these dollars (nearly $100 million annually) for roads, ports, levees and other infrastructure or public service needs. As a result, a substantial amount of a state's allocation could be expended on activities that have only a tangential link to conservation and may actually be environmentally harmful.

CARA should eliminate or further reduce the link between increased offshore drilling and increased revenue to a state or municipality. The coastal impact assistance fund bases a state or municipality's coastal impact assistance revenue on their proximity to OCS oil and gas leases. This creates the potential for a state or local government to support new OCS development in order to increase the amount of funds they would receive. To address this issue, the final House bill requires that the allocation formula for Title I funds be based on a one-time "snapshot" of historic OCS production. This provision was not included in the Senate version of CARA.

The Time for Conservation Funding is Now!

A diverse and powerful array of over 5000 interests including sportsmen, conservationists, historic preservationists, park and recreation enthusiasts, urban advocates, the faith community, businesses, state and local governments, and others, have joined together in support of conservation funding legislation. They recognize that reliable, substantial funding is necessary to ensure that we leave a rich conservation legacy for future generations. Fortunately, decision-makers from across the political spectrum are responding. President Clinton, all fifty governors, and a large, bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators have registered their support for permanent conservation funding legislation. But time is short. A new Administration and a changed Congressional climate in 2001 may hurt the chances that legislation will move after the 2000 elections. It is vital that conservation funding legislation pass this year.