For Immediate Release

February 13, 2003

STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
FUNDED IN APPROPRIATIONS BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A broad array of conservation and environmental programs in Washington State will be funded by the multi-agency appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives late Thursday, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks said.

            By a vote of 338 -to-83, the House passed the large spending measure today which covers 11 of the 13 appropriations bills that fund the federal government through the current fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, 2003.  Rep. Dicks serves as the ranking Democratic member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, responsible for approving the budgets of the Interior Department and various other federal land management and energy agencies.

            Though the compromise measure reduced the amounts for some programs funded when the Interior Appropriations bill was passed by the House in July, Rep. Dicks said he was “very pleased that we were able to maintain the full funding increment for the Elwha River restoration project.”  He said the bill allocates $21.7 million to continue the progress on the Elwha project this year.

            The bill also continues the West Coast Salmon Recovery program, begun in 1998 to assist the four west-coast states respond to the listing of endangered and threatened salmon species.  In the next year, the federal government will provide $90 million -- of which Washington state receives more than $30 million -- for the program.   Also included is $20 million for important activities by the State and Commerce Departments to implement the U.S./Canada Salmon Treaty, Rep. Dicks said.

            Much of the bill’s conservation expenditures are being made through an effort that Rep. Dicks launched in 2000, creating a conservation trust fund account that has been responsible for more than doubling federal spending for land acquisition, fishery habitat protection, wildlife management and national park upkeep.

            “Even within the constraints of a very tight budget year for the Interior bill, we were able to make another step forward in this effort to provide federal conservation resources,” said Rep. Dicks.

            Among the environmental programs in Washington State approved as part of the larger appropriations bill today were:                                    

Elwha River Restoration: 
The subcommittee provided the total amount requested for work in the upcoming year on the Elwha River project, allowing the plan for removal of the dams and restoration of the fish runs to proceed on schedule
$21.7 million

Columbia River Gorge Land Acquisition: 
Another important step to acquire lands within the national scenic area
$5 million

Hatchery Reform Initiative: 
Continued funding for the ongoing scientific review of hatcheries in Washington State
$3.5 million

West Coast Salmon Recovery Program: 
The Federal effort to assist Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska respond to the listing of endangered and threatened salmon runs.
$90 million

U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty: 
For activities by the State and Commerce Departments to implement the treaty
$20 million

Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge Acquisition: 
In the next fiscal year, the Fish & Wildlife Service will acquire a key parcel of land adjacent to the refuge that provides secure habitat for various threatened species of wildlife, including migratory birds
$750,000

Bull Trout Research: 
A specific appropriation in the budget for the US Fish & Wildlife Service will allow the agency to locate and monitor bull trout in Washington , a species that will be incorporated into the statewide habitat conservation plan for all state Dept. of Natural Resource lands
$550,000

Timber, Fish & Wildlife Program: 
The Bureau of Indian Affairs budget includes funding to continue the tribal role in this comprehensive Washington State salmon recovery effort in the next fiscal year
$4 million

Cascades Conservation Partnership: 
Key lands along Interstate 90 are slated for acquisition next year as part of a long-term effort in Washington
$4 million

Mt. Rainier National Park:
Rehabilitation of the Paradise Guide House and perform electrical work on seasonal worker housing 
$4.4 million

Spartina grass eradication: 
Funds were included to control the spread of the invasive species Spartina at Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge
$1 million

Quinault habitat protection:
The bill includes funding for an easement along the northern boundary of the Quinault Reservation in order to protect old growth forest habitat for protected owls and murrelets.
$5 million

Long Live the Kings:
Funds to encourage the work of this non-profit organization in Washington, which works on restoring wild salmon throughout the Pacific Northwest
$200,000

Jobs in the Woods: 
The budget for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Includes funding to continue the diversification program that creates new jobs in areas where timber harvesting has declined.
$3 million

Olympic Natural Resources Center: 
For continued operation of the research and education center in Forks.
$200,000

Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group:
Promoting salmon habitat restoration along Washington’s Hood Canal
$175,000

Culverts Initiative: 
For Removal of fish-blocking culverts in Northwest forests, funds were provided in the budgets of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management
$7 million

Port Angeles Carnegie Library: 
Funds for the Carnegie Library in Port Angeles -- providing for  restoration and historic preservation work, were approved as part of the National Park Service’s “Save America’s Treasures” program
$300,000

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