H.R. 2584

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012

Sponsor	Rep. Simpson, Mike
Committee	Appropriations
Date	July 26, 2011 (112th Congress, 1st Session)
Staff Contact	Andy Koenig

On Monday, July 25, 2011, the House began consideration of H.R. 2584, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012, subject to a rule (H.Res. 363).  The bill was introduced on July 19, 2011, by Rep. Michael Simpson (R-ID) and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.  The rule for consideration provided for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.  The rule provides for consideration of any amendment offered that complies with the House rules.  Under the rule, amendments will be considered following general debate pursuant to the five-minute rule.

H.R. 2584 would provide a total of $27.46 billion in non-emergency, discretionary budget authority for the agencies and programs funded through the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.  Budget authority in the bill would be a reduction of approximately $2.1 billion or 7.1 percent below the spending level for FY 2011 and $3.8 billion or 12.2 percent below the president’s request.  The bill would contribute to an overall level of discretionary budget authority of $1.019 trillion for FY 2012, a reduction of $30.3 billion below FY 2011.  H.R. 2584 would provide funding for a number of agencies, including the Department of Interior (DOI), the EPA, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Indian Health Service, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Smithsonian.  The following is a summary of the spending highlights and other provisions in the bill.

Interior and Environment FY 2012 Appropriated Budget Authority  (In thousands of dollars)
Program	FY 2011	President Request	H.R. 2584	Change from FY 2011	Change from Request	Change from FY 2011 %	Change from Request %
Bill Total	29,559,000	31,289,290	27,465,000	-2,094,000	-3,824,290	-7.1%	-12.2%

 

TITLE I-DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management:  H.R. 2584 would provide $1.02 billion for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is a reduction of $64.2 million or 5.9 percent below FY 2011 and $60.6 million below the president’s request.  The BLM oversees approximately 245 million acres of federal land and an additional 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights.  Surface lands under direct Bureau management make up about 13 percent of the total land surface of the United States and more than 40 percent of all land managed by the Federal government, making the Bureau the nation's largest single land manager.  In addition, the Bureau has trust responsibilities on 56 million acres of Indian trust lands for mineral operations and cadastral surveys.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife:  H.R. 2584 would provide $1.19 billion for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which is $310 million or 20 percent below FY 2011 and $502 million or 29 percent below the president’s request.  FWS manages approximately 150 million acres of specially restricted federal land in the National Wildlife Refuge System tasked with conserving fish and wildlife.

National Park Service:  H.R. 2584 would provide $2.47 billion for the National Park Service (NPS), which is $131 million or 5 percent below FY 2011 and $412 million or 14 percent below the president’s request.  According to CRS, NPS faces an estimated $10 billion maintenance backlog on the property the agency currently controls.  The bill also provides $18 million for new land acquisition.

U.S. Geological Survey:  H.R. 2584 would provide $1.105 billion for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which is $30 million or 3 percent below FY 2011 and $64 million or 6 percent less than the president’s request.  USGS gathers information to provide scientific classifications of public lands and mineral resources.

Bureau of Indian Affairs:  H.R. 2584 would provide $2.53 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which is $64 million or 2 percent below FY 2011 and $29 million or 1 percent above the president’s request.   The BIA provides services directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to more than 550 federally recognized tribes with a service population of about 1.7 million American Indians.  Funding is provided for, among other things, administration, construction, salaries, additional field employees.

TITLE II-ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

H.R. 2584 would provide a total of $7.15 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, which is a reduction of $1.5 billion or 17 percent from FY 2011 and $1.82 billion or 20 percent below the president’s request.  According to the Committee on Appropriations, climate change funding in this bill is reduced by $83 million, or 22 percent. The reduction comes as a result of a recent GAO report which found, “Without further improvement in how federal climate change funding is defined and reported, strategic priorities are set, and funding is aligned with priorities, it will be difficult for the public and Congress to fully understand how climate change funds are accounted for and how they are spent.”  A brief summary of other major EPA funding provisions follows.  

Science and Technology:  H.R. 2584 would provide $754 million for EPA science and technology programs, which is $58 million or 7 percent below FY 2011 and $70 million or 8 percent below the president’s request.

Environmental Programs and Management:  H.R. 2584 would provide $2.49 billion for the EPA's Environmental Programs and Management account, which is $258 million or 9 percent below FY 2011 and $378 million or 13 percent below the president’s request.  The Environmental Programs and Management account encompasses a broad range of abatement, prevention, enforcement, and compliance activities, and personnel compensation, benefits, travel, and expenses for all programs of the Agency except Science and Technology, Hazardous Substance Superfund, Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund, Inland Oil Spill Programs, and the Office of Inspector General.

Hazardous Substance Superfund:  H.R. 2584 would provide $1.22 billion for the Hazardous Substance Superfund, which is $56 million or 4 percent below FY 2011 and $12 million or 1 percent below the president’s request.

State and Tribal Grant Assistance:  H.R. 2584 would provide $1.6 billion for EPA’s State and Tribal grant program, which is $1.04 billion below FY 2011 and $1.05 billion or 39 percent below the president’s request.   In the STAG account, EPA provides funding for infrastructure projects through two State Revolving Funds (Clean Water and Drinking Water), geographic specific projects in Alaskan Native Villages and on the United States-Mexico Border, Brownfield revitalization projects, diesel emission reduction grants and other targeted infrastructure projects.

TITLE III-RELATED AGENCIES

U.S. Forest Service:  H.R. 2584 would provide $4.03 billion for the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service, which is $172 million or 4 percent below FY 2011 and $420 million or 8 percent below the president’s request.  The U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of National Forests, Grasslands, and a Tallgrass Prairie, including lands in 44 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and cooperates with States, other Federal agencies, Tribes and private landowners to sustain the Nation’s forests and grasslands.

Indian Health Service:  H.R. 2584 would provide $4.053 billion for Indian Health Services, which is $369 million or 10 percent above FY 2011 and $131 million or 3 percent below the president’s request.  The program provides health and dental services to American Indians.

Smithsonian:  H.R. 2584 would provide $751 million for the Smithsonian Institute, which is $8 million or 1 percent below FY 2011 and $109 million or 12 percent below the president’s request.  The funding includes $124 million for facilities capital and $626 million for salaries and expenses.

National Endowment for the Arts:  H.R. 2584 would provide $135 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which provides funding for private, for-profit arts programs.  The funding represents an reduction of $19.7 million or 13 percent below FY 2011 and a reduction of $11.2 million or 8 percent below the president’s request.  The bill provides the same level of funding for the National Endowment for Humanities, which makes taxpayer funded grants to support research, education, and public programs in the humanities.

H.R. 2584 Discretionary Budget Authority  (In Thousands)
Program	FY 2011	President Request	H.R. 2584	Change from FY 2011	Change from Request	Change from FY 2011 %	Change from Request %
Department of Interior
Bureau of Land Management	1,088,686	1,085,094	1,024,422	-64,264	-60,672	-5.9%	-5.6%
United States Fish and Wildlife Service	1,503,238	1,694,705	1,192,615	-310,623	-502,090	-20.7%	-29.6%
National Park Service	2,611,142	2,891,565	2,479,430	-131,712	-412,135	-5.0%	-14.3%
United States Geological Survey	1,083,672	1,117,854	1,053,552	-30,120	-64,302	-2.8%	-5.8%
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management	225,743	136,188	153,528	-72,215	17,340	-32.0%	12.7%
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement	162,543	145,912	150,493	-12,050	4,581	-7.4%	3.1%
Bureau of Indian Affairs	2,594,012	2,500,653	2,529,651	-64,361	28,998	-2.5%	1.2%
Departmental Offices	466,484	613,387	574,054	107,570	-39,333	23.1%	-6.4%
Department-wide Programs	881,190	911,052	739,003	-142,187	-172,049	-16.1%	-18.9%
Total Department of Interior	10,574,710	11,054,410	9,854,748	-719,962	-1,199,662	-6.8%	-10.9%
Environmental Protection Agency
Science and Technology	813,480	825,596	754,611	-58,869	-70,985	-7.2%	-8.6%
Environmental Programs and Management	2,756,470	2,876,634	2,498,433	-258,037	-378,201	-9.4%	-13.1%
Office of Inspector General	44,701	45,997	41,099	-3,602	-4,898	-8.1%	-10.6%
Buildings and Facilities	36,428	41,969	36,428	0	-5,541	0.0%	-13.2%
Hazardous Substance Superfund	1,280,908	1,236,231	1,224,295	-56,613	-11,936	-4.4%	-1.0%
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program	112,875	112,481	105,669	-7,206	-6,812	-6.4%	-6.1%
Oil Spill Response	18,342	23,662	18,274	-68	-5,388	-0.4%	-22.8%
State and Tribal Assistance Grants	2,654,680	2,659,041	1,608,000	-1,046,680	-1,051,041	-39.4%	-39.5%
Categorical Grants	1,104,233	1,201,389	1,002,393	-101,840	-198,996	-9.2%	-16.6%
Total Environmental Protection Agency	8,682,117	8,973,000	7,149,202	-1,532,915	-1,823,798	-17.7%	-20.3%
Related Agencies
USDA Forest Service	4,685,044	4,933,245	4,512,947	-172,097	-420,298	-3.7%	-8.5%
Indian Health Service, DHHS	3,665,273	4,166,139	4,034,322	369,049	-131,817	10.1%	-3.2%
Council on Environmental Quality	3,153	3,444	2,661	-492	-783	-15.6%	-22.7%
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board	10,777	11,147	10,000	-777	-1,147	-7.2%	-10.3%
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation	7,984	9,570	7,530	-454	-2,040	-5.7%	-21.3%
Institute of American Indian Culture	8,283	9,225	7,900	-383	-1,325	-4.6%	-14.4%
Smithsonian Institution (including facilities)	759,639	861,530	751,721	-7,918	-109,809	-1.0%	-12.7%
National Gallery of Art	158,650	138,000	126,123	-32,527	-11,877	-20.5%	-8.6%
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts	36,347	36,850	36,105	-242	-745	-0.7%	-2.0%
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars	11,203	11,005	10,000	-1,203	-1,005	-10.7%	-9.1%
National Endowment for the Arts	154,690	146,255	135,000	-19,690	-11,255	-12.7%	-7.7%
National Endowment for the Humanities	154,690	146,255	135,000	-19,690	-11,255	-12.7%	-7.7%
Commission of Fine Arts	2,289	2,400	2,234	-55	-166	-2.4%	-6.9%
National Capital Arts Cultural Affairs	2,994	0	0	-2,994	0	-100.0%	0.0%
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation	5,896	6,108	5,498	-398	-610	-6.8%	-10.0%
National Capital Planning Commission	8,490	8,154	8,133	-357	-21	-4.2%	-0.3%
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum	49,024	52,694	50,524	1,500	-2,170	3.1%	-4.1%
Presidio Trust	14,970	12,000	12,000	-2,970	0	-19.8%	0.0%
Total Related Agencies	10,299,035	11,258,880	10,458,050	159,015	-800,830	1.5%	-7.1%
Total	29,559,000	31,289,290	27,465,000	-2,094,000	-3,824,290	-7.1%	-12.2%

According to CBO, H.R. 2584 would provide a total of $27.465 billion in discretionary budget authority for agencies and programs funded through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012 in FY 2012.