Create a Conservation Legacy-- Support the Conservation
and Reinvestment Act
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:
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. |