Press RoomPress Release"SAFETEA" a Big Boost for Fish and Wildlife Conservation New Highway Bill Includes Protections Most Important to Sportsmen and Women NEWS RELEASE
November 7, 2003
Contact: George Cooper
(202) 508-3421 The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, in finalizing its work on the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act" (SAFETEA) has put in place important provisions to strengthen wildlife conservation in the United States. SAFETEA contains measures to reduce wildlife/vehicle accidents, limit the spread of harmful invasive species, minimize the impact of highway projects on critical habitat and increase meaningful habitat mitigation projects. SAFETEA will also dramatically improve access to hunting and fishing areas for sportsmen and women. In crafting this legislation, Committee Chairman James Inhofe, ranking member James Jeffords and other members of the committee have funded the priorities of hunters, anglers and conservationists ensuring broader benefits for the greater public good. This letter (click here to view the letter) expresses the thanks of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership which facilitated a working group of organizations interested in seeing fish and wildlife needs addressed in SAFETEA. Several of those organizations co-signed the letter of appreciation to join the TRCP in thanking Senators Inhofe and Jeffords. Every year, transportation programs have a profound impact on how outdoor enthusiasts are able to pursue their pastimes and on how fish, wildlife and their habitats are treated in this country. It is vital that transportation projects be delivered with science-based considerations for protecting and enhancing valuable habitat through mitigation efforts during the earliest phases of planning. SAFETEA addresses this overall priority in the following specific ways: Funding For:
- Refuge Roads - Increased annual funding levels from $20 million to $70 million.
- Sportfishing and Boating Safety - Reauthorized funding of critical sportfish restoration, boating safety and outreach programs. An amendment of the revenue title of the highway bill recovers 4.8 cents of excise tax revenue attributable to motor boat fuel taxes from the general treasury into the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund adding roughly $130 million to the trust fund annually.
- Recreational Trails Program - $50 million annually is authorized in TEA - 21 and continuing this program is critical for the maintenance and development of thousands of miles of trails for hunters, hikers and fisherman.
- Forest Roads Maintenance - Amendments to the public lands highways program to permit up to $50 million for forest road maintenance and to include the repair of culverts and bridges to facilitate appropriate fish passage and ensure reasonable flows.
The TRCP and its partner organizations look forward to working with the Senators further on our nation’s transportation policy as SAFETEA moves through the legislative process.
The TRCP is an organization dedicated to bringing together the leading hunting, angling and conservation groups in the United States to combine forces and work on the national issues most important to American sportsmen and women. To that end, TRCP works to improve protections for crucial fish and wildlife habitats, strengthen funding for fish and wildlife management, and increase public access to quality hunting and angling opportunities. |