For Immediate Release

June 26, 2009

Interior Appropriations Bill Summary -- As Passed By the House Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – SUMMARY of the FY 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill,
Making Key Investments in:

     -- Protecting the Environment,
     -- Conservation,
     -- Climate Change Research & Other Priorities

Protecting the Environment/Ensuring Clean Water

Clean Water State Revolving Fund: Provides $2.3 billion, $1.6 billion above 2009, for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which helps ensure our nation’s waters reach the goals of the Clean Water Act. The bill provides a large increase for clean water funding in light of the fact that it was severely underfunded under the Bush Administration. This increased funding allows states to address the nation’s aging wastewater infrastructure in order to sustain and improve water quality.

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: Provides $1.4 billion, $614 million above 2009, for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which helps states to protect public health by improving drinking water systems. Once again, this increase is needed to address the fund’s prior underfunding. The increased funding will help states finance the infrastructure improvements that are needed to achieve or maintain compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act standards.

Sewer and Water Grants: Provides $160 million, $15 million above 2009, for sewer and water grants to local communities – a program that is highly valued by many local communities across the country.

Superfund: Provides $1.3 billion, $22 million above 2009, for the Superfund toxic waste clean-up program. This vital program is responsible for cleaning up major toxic waste sites throughout the United States in order to protect the environment and the health of all Americans.

Brownfields: Provides $100 million, $3 million above 2009, for evaluation and cleanup of “brownfields,” former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use. It also provides $49 million in grants to states to administer Brownfield programs.

Environmental Justice: Provides $7.2 million for environmental justice programs, which protect the health and welfare of low-income and minority communities from environmental toxins related to industrial pollution.

Some Key Interior Department & Other Conservation Programs

National Parks: The bill makes improving our national parks a key priority. It provides $2.75 billion for the national parks, $195 million (8 percent) above 2009. This funding continues the 10-year initiative to upgrade the national parks before the Centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. Much of this additional funding is targeted at improving national park operations in order to help ensure that visitors to our national parks will experience enhanced levels of service.

National Wildlife Refuges: Provides $503 million for National Wildlife Refuges – an increase of $40 million or 9 percent above 2009. This increase provides critically needed staff and funding to implement climate change strategies, and improve conservation efforts.

Forest Service: Provides $2.77 billion, $154 million above 2009, for basic (non-fire) Forest Service funding. This maintains important research, cooperative forestry, and land management programs, and also includes $100 million for the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program at the Forest Service to protect streams and water systems from damaged forest roads. This effort is a key part of our effort to protect the national forests and grasslands.

Wildfire Suppression and Preparedness: Makes a major investment in wildfire suppression and preparedness programs – providing an unprecedented total of $3.66 billion for all the wildfire accounts, $669 million above 2009. This funding total includes $1.85 billion for wildfire suppression, $526 million above 2009, including $357 million for the new wildfire suppression contingency reserve accounts requested by the President. It also includes $611 million, $80 million above 2009, for hazardous fuels reduction projects – which will reduce wildfires in the future and protect communities and watersheds.

Climate Change Research and Adaptation Efforts

The bill provides a total of $420 million, $189 million above 2009 and $24 million above the President’s request, for climate change research and adaptation efforts, including the following:

--$67 million for priority climate change research at the U.S. Geological Survey, an increase of $22 million above 2009;

--$32 million for climate change research at the Forest Service, an increase of $5 million above 2009;

--$15 million as requested for the National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center at the U.S. Geological Survey for wildlife adaptation to climate change;

--$17 million to continue development of a Greenhouse Gas Registry, a first step in controlling greenhouse gases;

--$10 million for new grants at EPA to encourage local communities to find ways to cut their greenhouse gas emissions;

--$50 million for EPA’s Energy Star Program which saves consumers $14 billion a year in energy costs by letting them know appliances’ energy efficiency;

--$28 million to implement the Energy Independence and Security Act, including $21 million to meet its requirement that the U.S. produce 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, and $7 million for carbon sequestration research at the U.S. Geological Survey; and

--$58 million to promote the development of renewable clean energy sources on federal lands and waters.

Other Key Provisions

Indian Health Service: Provides $4.0 billion, $471 above 2009, for the Indian Health Service, to improve the quality and availability of critical health care services for Native Americans.

Bureau of Indian Affairs: Provides $2.6 billion, which is an increase of $183 million above 2009. Of the increases, over $80 million is for Indian education and $33 million is for law enforcement to strengthen police programs, detention center operations, and Tribal courts.

National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities: Provides $170 million, $15 million over 2009, for the National Endowment for the Arts; and also provides $170 million, $15 million above 2009, for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Amendments Adopted in Committee

Below are certain of the amendments that were adopted in committee.

Guantanamo Detainees: This amendment added language to the bill stating that no funds may be used to release detainees from Guantanamo to the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. In addition, no funds may be used to transfer detainees to these U.S. territories until two months after the President submits a detailed plan regarding the proposed disposition of detainees. (This Lewis (R-CA) amendment was adopted by voice vote.)

Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Greenhouse Gas Registry: This amendment added language to the bill prohibiting EPA from requiring livestock feedlots to report on their methane emissions as part of the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for the Greenhouse Gas Registry. (This Latham (R-IA) amendment was adopted by a vote of 31-27.)

Biological Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: This amendment added language to the bill prohibiting EPA from promulgating a regulation to require Clean Air Act permits for emissions from biological processes associated with livestock production. (This Tiahrt (R-KS) amendment was adopted by a voice vote.)

Fiscal Responsibility

The 12 Appropriations Bills Are Fiscally Responsible -- $10 Billion Below the President’s Proposed Budget: The budget conference report adopted by the Congress in April required a cut in discretionary spending in FY 2010 of $10 billion below the funding requested by President Obama in his budget. As a result, the 12 FY 2010 appropriations bills overall must be $10 billion below the President’s budget.

This Bill Eliminates 6 Programs and Cuts Funding below 2009 For Another 37 Programs – Achieving Gross Savings of $320 Million: The Interior-Environment bill is fiscally responsible, targeting dollars to high-priority needs, while eliminating 6 programs and cutting funding below 2009 for another 37 programs. An example of a program eliminated is emergency mine reclamation grants and an example of a program where funding is reduced is a rescission of $132 million in the EPA state and tribal assistance grants account, based on an Inspector General’s report of unliquidated obligations.

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