(WASHINGTON) - Secretary
of the Interior Gale A. Norton today praised Montana Sen. Conrad Burns
for his support of the Department of the Interior Appropriations Bill,
which President Bush signed into law today.
"I applaud Senator Burns
for his strong support for the programs of the Interior Department,"
Norton said. "Thanks to him and other congressional supporters,
the budget provides funding for major initiatives to improve national
parks, build and restore Indian schools, improve forest and rangeland
health, and suppress catastrophic wildland fires," Norton said.
"It also contains provisions to enhance traditional and renewable
energy and to improve management of our wildlife refuges and other public
lands."
The 2004 Interior budget
provides $9.9 billion for the Department's programs and operations,
which exceeds the 2003 level by $111.5 million, and includes funds to
ensure that wildland fire operations important to the state of Montana
will be funded. It will also provide for the responsible development
of energy resources on public lands, and improve water related issues
that are critical to the State of Montana.
Including a recent budget
amendment of $99 million for fire, the President's budget request for
discretionary appropriations for Department of the Interior programs
in the Interior bill totaled $9.86 billion. The conference agreement
is $58 million or 0.6 percent below the President's budget request.
These conference amounts include a 0.646 percent across-the-board reduction.
Budget highlights include
the following:
·
For the second
year, Congress has provided increases for Secretary Norton's Cooperative
Conservation Initiative. The total 2004 appropriation for CCI is $110.3
million. This is $18.9 million
over 2003 and cumulatively $35.4 million over 2002. This includes an
increase over 2003 of $4.8 million for the Fish and Wildlife Service's
Partners for Fish and Wildlife program.
·
The 2004 budget
provides $497,000 for Take Pride in America - to rally citizens to become engaged through volunteerism
to leverage federal investments in conservation partnerships effectively
and efficiently.
·
Congress provides
$788 million for the Department's fire program, including $99 million
to repay funds borrowed in 2003. Suppression
activities are funded at the ten-year average, and the budget continues
robust funding of $185 million for fuels treatment.
For the Hazardous
Fuels Reduction program, DOI will emphasize collaborative efforts to
protect wildland urban interface communities.
Fifty percent of on-the-ground fuels reduction monies will fund contracts
to protect communities and aid local economies, and many of the fuels
reduction contracts will be awarded to small, local companies.
·
The Congress
funded the Department's request of $10 million in grants funding to
help equip and train rural fire departments for wildfire preparedness
and initial attack capability.
·
Funding for the
NPS maintenance backlog is $704 million, comparable with the request. Combined with DOT funding for roads, the 2004
program will provide over $1 billion to parks maintenance.
· Congress provides
$297 million, slightly more than the requested level for BIA education
construction. This investment
supports the President's "No Child Left Behind" initiative and will
allow us to replace school facilities at seven or more locations and
address critical health and safety concerns at a number of other schools.
· The 2004 appropriations
provide $72 million for the Natural Resource Challenge - our program
to improve the management of natural resources in parks. This brings cumulative increases in the program
since 2001 to $100.5 million.
·
The Congress
funds federal land acquisition at $109 million, $34 million below the
request. The State grants component
of LWCF is funded at $94 million, $66 million below the request.
· Congress funds
our unified Indian trust budget at $456 million. Congress limited funding
for historical accounting to $45 million, $85 million below our request. Bill language limits the scope of accounting
in 2004 pending actions by Congress to amend the 1994 Trust Management
Reform Act.
·
The budget for
the Bureau of Land Management included increases for resource protection
and restoration while also facilitating access for energy development,
funding to reinvigorate forest health treatments, improve recreational
opportunities, and services on public lands, and funding to strengthen
law enforcement capabilities.
·
The budget for
the Fish and Wildlife Service included increases for endangered species
activities, refuge operations and maintenance, migratory birds, law
enforcement programs and hatchery operations and maintenance.
·
For the National
Park Service, Congress funded the majority of the $16.4 million increase
for park base operations and the $14.3 million increase requested for
cyclic maintenance.