Interior Appropriations for FY00

House passes Interior Appropriations bill

Wednesday night by a vote of 377-47 the House of Representatives passed its $14.1 billion Interior Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2000, through which the Forest Service and other federal land management agencies are funded. Funding levels were not as high as we would like for Forest Service fish, wildlife, and watershed programs, but some programs were increased, cuts were not as bad as in previous years, and some very positive forest amendments were accepted.

The House has now finalized its Interior bill and awaits the Senate's final version, which will be voted on the next couple of weeks. Once they are both complete, the House, Senate, and Clinton Administration will have a conference to decide upon a final version of the bill acceptable to all three bodies.

The amendments were decided upon by their Congressional sponsors too late for us to ask for grassroots action or give proper notice beforehand. There will be ample opportunity to take action on the Senate Interior bill, however. An Audubon Action Alert on Senate Interior bill riders and amendments will follow in a separate message.

For information on how your Representative voted, please contact us. You may want to consider thanking those who voted for the following amendments:

MILLER AMENDMENT TO PROTECT ROADLESS AREAS
The House of Representatives accepted by voice vote an amendment from Rep. George Miller (D-CA) to prevent the Forest Service from spending any money on new timber access roads. The amendment converted non-binding advisory language into mandatory bill language. This vote reaffirms congressional support for roadless areas in National Forests and sends a signal to the Administration to proceed with a policy to protect them.

MCGOVERN AMENDMENT TO FUND STATE-SIDE LWCF:
The House accepted by a 213 - 202 vote an amendment from Reps. McGovern (D-MA), Holt (D-NJ), Hoeffel (D-PA) and Campbell (D-CA) to put $30 million in the state-side of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This money acts as a matching grant to states to help them acquire lands for conservation purposes. It is particularly important for northeastern states and efforts to restore the great northern forest. The state-side of the LWCF has not been funded for four years. The money was cut out of $360 million in fossil fuel research subsidies.

WU / HOOLEY AMENDMENT TO RESTORE FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAMS:
An amendment from Reps. Wu (D-OR) and Hooley (D-OR) to transfer money from Forest Service timber program to fish, and wildlife programs was rejected 174 - 250. The Interior Appropriations Committee gave the Forest Service $23 million more than it requested for its timber program, and $23 million less than it requested for fish, wildlife, and road maintenance. Reps. Wu and Hooley tried to restore the balance and reaffirm the Administration's original request.

SANDERS AMENDMENT TO SUPPORT COUNTIES:
Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) passed an amendment 248 - 169 to pay counties an additional $20 million compensation for untaxable federal lands in their borders. This compensation will be paid through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT). PILT is an important alternative to county payments based on timber sales, which encourage counties to act as lobbyists for more logging. Mr. Sanders' amendment cut $50 million from fossil fuel research subsidies. The other $30 million went to deficit reduction.