California Institute Special Report

PDF Version FY 2010 House Interior & Enviroment Appropriations


House FY 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations and California Implications – September 2009

 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

U.S. FOREST SERVICE





On June, 26 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2996, the FY2010 Appropriations for the Departments of Interior and Environment and Related Agencies. The vote was 254 to 173. The FY2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill provides $32.3 billion, the same as the President’s request, and an increase over the FY2009 Appropriations of $27.6 billion.


The following is a quick analysis of the bill from a California perspective prepared by the California Institute. The ordering of items generally reflects their appearance in the bill and does not mean to imply any relative importance.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

The Committee provides $1,125,000,000 to the Bureau of Land Management, $86 million more than the allocation for FY2009, and $24 million less than the President’s request.


California-Specific Presidentially Directed Spending Items: Bureau of Land Management:

Construction – California Radio Fencing and Grounding Improvement – $537,000

Land Acquisition – California Wilderness – $500,000

Land Acquisition – Upper Sacramento River ACEC – $2,800,000

Land Acquisition – Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Bono Mack)



US Fish and Wildlife Service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is provided $1,636,000,000 for FY2010, compared to $1,446,000,000 for FY2009, and $1 million less than the President’s request.

The Committee provides the National Wildlife Refuge System $503 million, $20 million above the President’s request and $40 million above 2009, to provide critically needed staff, implement climate change strategies, and improve conservation efforts.


California-Specific Presidentially Directed Spending Items: Fish and Wildlife Service:

– Land Acquisition – Rocky Mountain Front California – $3,750,000

– Land Acquisition – San Joaquin River NWR – $2,000,000

– Fisheries – UC Davis Review of the Klamath, North Coast, Central Valley Hutchery Operations in California – $1,000,0000 (requested by Rep. Thompson)

 

National Park Service

$2.7 billion, $37 million above the President’s request and $208 million above 2009 is provided to the National Parks Service, and includes funds for the 10-year initiative to upgrade national parks before the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and $25 million for the new Park Partnership Project Grants Program.

California-Specific Congressionally Designated Projects: National Parks Service

– Statutory or Contractual Aid: Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation San Francisco $1,000,000 (requested by Reps. Pelosi, Woolsey)

– Construction: Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center $300,000 (requested by Rep. Lewis)


US Geological Survey

The Committee provides $1.1 billion for the U.S. Geological Survey, $8 million more than the President’s request.

California-Specific Congressionally Designated Projects: US Geological Service

– Investigations Research: California State Coastal Conservancy, Oakland, CA, South San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project – $1,000,000 (requested by Reps. Stark, Lofgren, Honda, Pelosi)


Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Committee provides the Bureau of Indian Affairs with $2.6 billion, $22 million above the President’s request and $183 million above 2009, for law enforcement officers, teachers, and jobs programs that will strengthen Native communities. Indian education receives over $80 million in increases over the enacted level, of which $50 million is to forward fund Tribal colleges. $33 million is invested in BIA law enforcement to strengthen police programs, detention center operations, and Tribal courts. The Committee provides $6.8 billion, $654 million above the 2009 level and $39 million above the request, with an emphasis on improving health care, tribal law enforcement and education.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The Committee provided $10.46 billion, $25 million below the President’s request and $2.83 billion above 2009 to the Environmental Protection Agency.

California-Specific Congressionally Designated Projects: Environmental Protection Agency

STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project

– Big Bear Department of Water and Power System Infrastructure Improvements – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Lewis)

– Carlsbad for Vista-Carlsbad Joint Wastewater Project – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Bilbray)

– City of Galt for Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Lungren)

– Helix Water District for the El Monte Valley Groundwater Recharge Project – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Hunter)

– Monterey County Water Resources Agency for the Lower Carmel River and Lagoon Floodplain Restoration and Enhancement Project – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Farr)

– Palmdale Water District for Water Main Replacement – $500,000 (requested by Rep McKeon)

– South Montebello Irrigation District for Water System Infrastructure Improvements – $550,000 (requested by Rep. Napolitano)

– South Pasadena for Wilson Reservoir Replacement – $300,000 (requested by Rep. Schiff)

– the City of Arcadia for the Arcadia and Sierra Madre Joint Water Infrastructure Project – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Dreier)

– City of Bell for Sewer Infrastructure Modernization – $675,000 (requested by Rep. Roybal-Allard)

– City of Calimesa for Storm Drain Improvements – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Lewis)

– City of Cathedral City for South City Improvement District Groundwater Protection – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Bono Mack)

– City of Ceres for East Service Road Sanitary Sewer Extension – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Cardoza)

– the City of Culver City for Storm Water Improvements – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Watson)

– the City of Los Angeles for the Elysian Park Water Recycling Project – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Becerra)

– the City of Ridgecrest for Water Treatment Facility Infrastructure – $400,000 (requested by Rep. McCarthy)

– the City of San Jose for the San Jose Redevelopment Area Sewer Main Rehabilitation – $300,000 (requested by Reps. Honda, Lofgren)

– the City of San Juan Capistrano for Groundwater Recovery Plant Expansion and Regional Distribution Facility – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Calvert)

– the City of Temple City for Storm Drain Installation – $200,000 (requested by Rep. Schiff)

– the City of Vallejo for Mare Island Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drain Improvements – $750,000 (requested by Rep. Miller)

– Western Municipal Water District for Arlington Desalter Biodenitrification – $500,000 (requested by Rep. Calvert)


Environmental Programs and Management

$5 million is provided to allow the EPA to fully fund four new centers of excellence to study the impact to children from toxins and chemicals in the environment and to expand EPA in-house research in this area. These funds are in addition to the request for $3.3 million to continue the Agency’s initiative to monitor the air around schools.

The Committee provides $3.9 billion to over 1500 communities to improve drinking water and wastewater systems, including:

             – $2.3 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund;

             – $1.4 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund; and

             – $160 million for direct grants to communities for water infrastructure.

According to the Committee, “a portion of the State Revolving Funds will be available as subsidized loans, and 20 percent of each State Revolving Fund will be available for green infrastructure, water or energy improvements, or other environmentally innovative projects. It is estimated that these funds will create as many as 40,000 new construction jobs.”


Hazardous Substances Superfund

The Committee provides $1.5 billion, equal to the President’s request and $3 million above 2009, to clean up dangerous toxic waste including $605 million for the Superfund to clean up hazardous substances at over 1,500 of the nation’s worst toxic waste sites; $113 million to inspect and clean up underground toxic spills; and $100 million for evaluation and cleanup of Brownfields, former industrial and commercial sites, to make problem properties ready for development and productive community use.

U.S. FOREST SERVICE

The Committee provided the U.S. Forest Service $2.77 billion for non-fire activities and programs, $62 million above the President’s request and $154 million above 2009, including $100 million for the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program to protect streams and water systems from damaged forest roads. This increases the Forest Legacy Land Conservation Program by $26.7 million above 2009, for a total of $76 million.

California-Specific Presidentially Directed Spending Items: US Forest Service:

Capital Improvements and Maintenance – Angeles National Forest, Pyramid Lake Rehabilitation – $1,069,000

Capital Improvements and Maintenance – San Dimas Energy Conservation and Renewable Generation – $400,000

Land Acquisition – San Bernardino National Forest Garner Home Ranch – $500,000


California-Specific Congressionally Designated Projects: US Forest Service

Land Acquisition – Angeles National Forest Shoemaker Canyon $500,000 (requested by Rep. McKeon)

Wildfire Management – San Bernardino National Forest Association, Urban Youth Conservation Corps – $100,000 (requested by Rep. Baca)


Wildfire Programs

The Committee provides $3.66 billion, $669 million above 2009 and $165 million above the President’s request, for efforts to prevent and fight wildfires at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, including hazardous fuels reduction projects, State and volunteer fire assistance activities, and forest health projects. This includes $357 million for the new wildfire suppression contingency reserve accounts, as requested, and increases hazardous fuels projects by $91 million, or 17 percent over the request and overall wildfire suppression funding by $526 million, or 40 percent over 2009.

Climate Change Programs

Climate Change: $420 million, $24 million above the President’s request and $189 million above

2009, for programs to address global climate change. This includes:

             $28 million to implement the Energy Independence and Security Act, including $21 million to meet its requirement that the US produce 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, and $7 million for carbon sequestration research (evaluating geological and biological potential and processes) at the US Geological Survey

             $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

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

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

             $67 million for priority climate change research at the US Geological Survey, an increase of $22 million over 2009.

             $32 million total for climate change research at the Forest Service, an increase of $5 million over 2009.

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

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


 


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