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The Skinny on Shrinking Conservation Coffers
Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations released its fiscal year 2016 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill, which provides funding for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Forest Service, and other various agencies. The TRCP and other sportsmen’s groups are dismayed at the inclusion of riders that would delay a decision from DOI on the greater sage-grouse and scrap the recently released Clean Water Rule, which clarifies which headwaters and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act.
In total, the bill includes $30.17 billion in base funding—that’s $246 million less than in fiscal year 2015 and $3 billion less than what the President has requested. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is funded at $1.4 billion in the bill, which is $8 million below fiscal year 2015.
The bill does increase funding levels for implementation of sage-grouse conservation measures, but it comes at a cost: the extension of a delay on any further Endangered Species Act rulemaking for sage grouse until October 2016. “Once again, Congress is trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,” says Whit Fosburgh, the TRCP’s president and CEO. “Rather than supporting the unprecedented cooperative efforts of private landowners, the states, and four federal agencies to avoid a sage-grouse listing, Congress is sticking with its tired old talking points about gross federal overreach. Rather than delay a listing decision, Congress should simply provide the resources necessary to implement conservation plans designed to benefit sage grouse, and more than 350 other species, and give industry the certainty it needs to thrive.”
The bill cuts EPA funding by 9 percent from 2015 levels, and prohibits the agency from making changes to the definition of “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act. “Less than two weeks after the release of the final Clean Water Rule—which was celebrated by the hunting and fishing community and some of our leading outdoor industry voices—Congress is working to cloud the waters again,” says Jimmy Hague, director of the Center for Water Resources at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “This rulemaking process was successful in that it more clearly defines, without expanding, which bodies of water should be protected, to ensure the health of fish and wildlife habitat and our nation’s drinking water, and we’d urge lawmakers to stop undermining that effort.”
The Senate’s appropriations proceedings could take place next week.
Here’s what sportsmen can do right now:
Glassing The Hill: June 8 – 12
The TRCP’s scouting report on sportsmen’s issues in Congress
The Senate and House will be in session from Monday through Friday.
The forecast calls for 100 degrees in Washington later this week, and things are heating up in Congress, as well. On Wednesday, the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up their annual spending bill for many of the agencies in charge of natural resources management. In April, the House Appropriations Committee advanced fiscal year 2016 spending legislation that provided only $30.17 billion for the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, and the EPA—that’s a $246-million cut from current spending levels. This will undoubtedly have negative impacts over the agencies who have been forced to work with increasingly shrinking budgets.
The Obama administration, who requested a 6-percent increase for EPA and an additional 8 percent for the Department of the Interior, has issued a veto threat on any spending plan that does not provide fair funding levels. This gap could result in another government shutdown in the coming months. Other looming threats: harmful policy riders that would undermine conservation initiatives and target the President’s climate change efforts.
Getting Around to Farm Bill Programs
On Thursday, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry will hold a hearing on Farm Bill implementation. Members and panelists will discuss the implementation of vital programs designed to encourage farmers to employ more conservation-friendly practices in environmentally-sensitive areas. The Department of Agriculture is still taking formal comments under consideration as it releases its rules for the programs.
Among the programs being discussed are the Conservation Stewardship Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and Conservation Reserve Program. Quail Forever’s Director of Field Operations Jim Inglis is expected to testify and discuss the Conservation Reserve Program, Regional Conservation Partnerships, and viable implementation strategies. On May 29, the USDA announced that an additional 800,000 acres would be eligible for enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program and earmarked for lands with duck nesting habitat, wetland restoration initiatives, and state acres for wildlife enhancement (SAFE). However, Farm Bill supporters have been otherwise unimpressed by the roll-out of these critical programs.
More information on the hearing can be found here.
New Wave of Threats
Despite the historic release of the EPA and Army Corps of Engineer’s final rule that would clarify protections outlined in the Clean Water Act and protect over 20 million acres of wetlands, opponents of the “Waters of the U.S.” rule have not given up. This week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will markup Senator John Barrasso’s S.1140 which would force the administration to start over and craft another plan that would achieve the same ends.
The bill has strong support from the agricultural community and private industries that feel the rule is a gross federal overstep. The conservation and environmental communities remain in support of the rule, as do 80 scientists, who recently submitted a letter opposing S.1140. The bill will likely pass through the GOP-led committee, but it may face an uphill battle to acquire the necessary votes.
The legislative text can be found here.
This Week in Full:
Tuesday, June 9
Senate Hearing on energy reform and accountability
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Wednesday, June 10
House Hearing on WRRDA implementation, one year into enactment
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee
House Hearing on impact of Executive Order 13658 on public lands outfitters and guides
Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Interior
House Markup of fiscal 2016 Interior-EPA appropriations bill
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee
Senate Markup of S. 1140, Federal Water Quality Protection Act
Senate Environment and Public Works
Senate Legislative hearing on the National Park System
Energy and Natural Resources
Thursday, June 11
House Hearing on farm bill conservation programs
Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
Glassing the Hill: June 1-5
The TRCP’s scouting report on sportsmen’s issues in Congress
The Senate will be in session from Monday through Thursday. The House will be in session from Monday through Friday.
ICYMI, last week, the conservation community celebrated a major win for the protection of wetlands, headwaters, tributaries, prairie potholes, and other water resources. The EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the passage of a long-awaited rule which clarifies and expands protections for wetlands and waterways under the Clean Water Act. The clean water rule was signed despite heated resistance in both the House and Senate. To learn more about this historic development, click here.
This week, the Senate committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will mark up its resolution on elements of the rule, and its effect on business, while a House committee discusses the impact of EPA regulations on businesses. BTW, hunters and anglers have some weight to throw around in the economy vs water protection conversation: The clean water rule will bolster the $646-billion outdoor recreation economy by protecting habitat heavily relied upon by wildlife, outdoor businesses, and local communities.
In other water news, this Tuesday a Senate committee will hear testimony on Western drought conditions and what states are doing to address them. Details can be found here.
Fisheries Management Act Won’t Be Easy to Land
This week, the House will consider a measure that would make significant changes to fisheries management language in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), H.R. 1335 would not only end a 10-year limit in place for rebuilding fish stocks, but would alleviate catch requirements that apply to various species. It would also reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which expired in 2013.
This legislation will not have an easy path forward. With support already divided along party lines, it will face an uphill climb in both the House and Senate. The White House has also issued a veto threat, further clouding its future. The conservation and fisheries community are also divided in their opinions toward the bill. Last week, former heads of the National Marine Fisheries Service wrote a letter to House leadership urging them to resist the measure.
The legislative text can be found here.
Healthier Forests, Less Time in Court
In a hearing to be held on Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands will examine a discussion draft that would expedite the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, which currently calls for thorough assessments of forestry projects to measure for potential harmful natural impacts, but also makes the agency vulnerable to costly, time-consuming lawsuits. The goal of the bill, titled “Returning Resilience to our Overgrown, Fire-prone National Forests Act of 2015,” introduced by Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), is to enable the U.S. Forest Service to complete additional timber projects faster and with less interference due to litigation.
Advocates of this legislation argue that an expedited NEPA review process would not only improve forest health nationwide, but also severely reduce the long-term risk of wildfires and the rising suppression costs that have crippled the Forest Service for the past few years. But many oppose the bill, saying that it could create a snowball effect that would allow for dramatic increases in forestry and timber projects with little concern for environmental impacts.
You can find more information on the hearing here.
This Week in Full:
Monday, June 1
House Meeting to set rules for floor debate on Transportation and Commerce appropriations bills Rules
Tuesday, June 2
House Hearing on the QER and energy bill discussion drafts
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power
House Hearing on OSMRE’s stream protection rule
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Senate Markup of resolution on the Waters of the U.S. rule
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Senate Hearing on Western drought
Energy and Natural Resources
Wednesday, June 3
Senate Hearing on energy bill efficiency and accountability title
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Senate Hearing on draft forestry legislation
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands
Thursday, June 4
House Hearing on the effects of U.S. EPA regulations on business
House Science, Space, and Technology
Good Call: New Conservation Reserve Program Acres Will Enhance Duck Habitat in a Big Way
Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that an additional 800,000 acres will be eligible for enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a Farm Bill initiative that has allowed agriculture producers to voluntarily conserve environmentally sensitive land—including prime wildlife habitat—for 30 years. Vilsack revealed this big boost to CRP, which he called “one of most successful conservation programs in the history of the country,” during his remarks to hunters and conservationists at the Ducks Unlimited National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
The backdrop is fitting, since 300,000 of these additional acres will be devoted to lands with duck nesting habitat, potentially doubling CRP acres that can benefit ducks in the future. The remaining acres will be split: 100,000 to wetland restoration initiatives and 400,000 to state acres for wildlife enhancement (SAFE)—all good news for sportsmen. For its part, Ducks Unlimited was recognized by Vilsack for leading three separate USDA projects resulting in an overall investment of $25.8 million in conservation efforts across the country.
Vilsack also announced that a general sign-up period would begin in December 2015 to get the ball rolling on CRP enrollment, to which supporters of the program are saying, It’s about time. There hasn’t been a general sign-up since 2013, and more than 15 months after passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, regulation of CRP has been lacking. Enrollment was 1.7 million acres below the prescribed enrollment cap as of April 2015, with contracts for an additional 1.9 million acres set to expire on September 30.
The TRCP has been working closely with our partners in the sportsmen’s and wildlife community, USDA, and Congress to advance many aspects of the program that were addressed by Vilsack’s remarks today. Our Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group galvanized the 12 Senators who sent this letter to the Secretary, calling for a general sign-up to support full enrollment of CRP. And we’re very eager to see USDA complete implementation of the program, including the delayed rollout of a new CRP working grasslands enrollment option, which the department has said to expect later this summer.
For a program that, in just three decades, has grown to 32 times its original acreage and continues to facilitate on-the-ground conservation that strengthens rural economies, we’re expecting great things from CRP. With proper support, this important program can flourish like the wildlife and habitat it benefits.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
CHEERS TO CONSERVATION
Theodore Roosevelt’s experiences hunting and fishing certainly fueled his passion for conservation, but it seems that a passion for coffee may have powered his mornings. In fact, Roosevelt’s son once said that his father’s coffee cup was “more in the nature of a bathtub.” TRCP has partnered with Afuera Coffee Co. to bring together his two loves: a strong morning brew and a dedication to conservation. With your purchase, you’ll not only enjoy waking up to the rich aroma of this bolder roast—you’ll be supporting the important work of preserving hunting and fishing opportunities for all.
$4 from each bag is donated to the TRCP, to help continue their efforts of safeguarding critical habitats, productive hunting grounds, and favorite fishing holes for future generations.
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