House Appropriations Committee Issues Report on Department of Interior, Environment, Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2018 (Part 7 of 7)
Continues from Part 6 of 7
DEPARTMENT WIDE PROGRAMS
Wildland Fire Management
Providing funds for wildland fire management.
Designating funds for renovation or construction of fire facilities and designating funds for Wildfire suppression operations.
Permitting the repayments of funds transferred from other accounts for firefighting.
Designating funds for hazardous fuels and burned area rehabilitation.
Permitting the use of funds for lodging and subsistence of firefighters.
Permitting the use of grants, contracts and cooperative agreements for hazardous fuels reduction, including cost- sharing and local assistance.
Permitting cost-sharing of cooperative agreements with non- Federal entities under certain circumstances.
Providing for local competition for hazardous fuel reduction activities.
Permitting reimbursement to the
Providing certain terms for leases of real property with local governments.
Providing for the transfer of funds between the
Providing funds for support of Federal emergency response actions.
Allowing for international forestry assistance to or through the
CENTRAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS FUND
Providing funds for response action, including associated activities, performed pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
WORKING CAPITAL FUND
Allowing funds for the financial and business management system and information technology improvement.
Prohibiting use of funds to establish reserves in the working capital fund with exceptions.
Allowing assessments for reasonable charges for training services at the National Indian Program Center and use of these funds under certain conditions.
Providing space and related facilities or the lease of related facilities, equipment or professional services of the
Providing that the Secretary may enter into grants and cooperative agreements to support the
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION
Allowing acquisition and sale of certain aircraft.
PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES
Extending funding for Payments in Lieu of Taxes.
Designating funds for mineral revenue management activities.
Allowing certain refunds of overpayments in connection with certain Indian leases.
General Provisions,
Allowing transfer of funds for certain reconstruction of facilities, aircraft or utilities in emergency situations.
Allowing transfer of funds in certain emergency situations, including wildfires and oil spill response, if other funds provided in other accounts will be exhausted within 30 days and a supplemental appropriation is requested as promptly as possible.
Permitting the Department to use limited funding for certain services.
Permitting the transfer of funds between the
Authorizing the redistribution of Tribal Priority Allocation funds to address unmet needs.
Authorizing the acquisition of lands and leases for Ellis, Governors and Liberty Islands.
Providing the authority for the Secretary to collect nonrefundable inspection fees.
Permitting the reorganization of the
Permitting the Secretary of the Interior to enter into long-term agreements for wild horse and burro holding facilities.
Requiring the
Addressing BLM actions regarding grazing on public lands.
Continuing a provision allowing the
Regarding status reviews and determinations for sage-grouse pursuant to the Endangered Species Act.
Permitting the transfer of excess wild horses and burros for work purposes.
Prohibiting the use of funds to list in the
Requiring the reissuance of certain final rules and prohibiting such rules from further judicial review.
Prohibiting the treatment of gray wolves range-wide as an endangered or threatened species.
TITLE II--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Science and Technology
Providing for operating expenses in support of research and development.
Designating funding for National Priorities research as specified in the report accompanying this Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS AND MANAGEMENT
Allowing hire and maintenance of passenger motor vehicles and operation of aircraft and purchase of reprints and library memberships in societies or associations which issue publications to members only or at a price to members lower than to subscribers who are not members.
Limiting amounts for official representation and reception expenses.
Providing two-year funding availability for administrative costs of Brownfields program.
Limitation of funds for the Chemical Risk Review and Reduction program.
Designating funding for National Priorities as specified in the report accompanying this Act.
Designating funding for Geographical programs as specified in the report accompanying this Act.
HAZARDOUS WASTE ELECTRONIC MANIFEST SYSTEM FUND
Providing for the collection and expenditure of fees.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE SUPERFUND
Allowing distribution of funds to purchase services from other agencies under certain circumstances.
Providing for the transfer of funds within certain agency accounts.
LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM
Providing for grants to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.
STATE AND TRIBAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS
Limiting funding amounts for certain programs.
Specifying funding for capitalization grants for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and allowing certain amounts for additional subsidies.
Designating funds for specific sections of law.
Providing waivers for certain uses of Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for State administrative costs for grants to federally-recognized Indian Tribes and grants to specific Territories and Freely Associated States.
Requiring that 10 percent Clean Water and 20 percent of Drinking Water funds shall be used by States for forgiveness of principal or negative interest loans.
Prohibiting the use of funds for jurisdictions that permit development or construction of additional colonia areas.
Providing certain grants under authority of Section 103, Clean Air Act.
Providing funding for environmental information exchange network initiatives grants, statistical surveys of water resources and enhancements to State monitoring programs, Tribal grants, and underground storage tank projects.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Allowing awards of grants to federally-recognized Indian Tribes.
Authorizing the collection and obligation of pesticide registration service fees.
Authorizing the collection and obligations of TSCA fees.
Allowing the transfer of funds from the "Environmental Programs and Management" account to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and providing for certain interagency agreements and grants to various entities in support of this effort.
Providing amounts for construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities.
Providing for grants to federally recognized Tribes.
Providing amounts for competitive grants under the National Estuary Program.
TITLE III--RELATED AGENCIES
OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
Providing funds for the office of the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment.
FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH
Providing funds for forest and rangeland research.
Designating funds for the forest inventory and analysis program.
STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY
Providing for forest health management, including treatments of certain pests or invasive plants, and for restoring damaged forests, and for cooperative forestry, education and land conservation activities, and conducting an international program.
Deriving certain funds from the
NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM
Providing funds for the National Forest System.
Depositing funds in the
Designating funds for forest products.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Providing funds for construction, reconstruction, and maintenance and acquisition of buildings and other facilities and infrastructure; and for construction, capital improvement, decommissioning, and maintenance of forest roads and trails.
Requiring that funds becoming available in fiscal year 2018 for the road and trails fund (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred to the
LAND ACQUISITION
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from the
ACQUISITION OF LANDS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS SPECIAL ACTS
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from forest receipts.
ACQUISITION OF LANDS TO COMPLETE LAND EXCHANGES
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from funds deposited by State, county, or municipal governments and non-Federal parties pursuant to Land Sale and Exchange Acts.
RANGE BETTERMENT FUND
Providing that fifty percent of monies received for grazing fees shall be used for range improvements and limiting administrative expenses to six percent.
GIFTS, DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS
Providing for gifts, donations and bequest per Federal law.
MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL FORESTS FOR SUBSISTENCE USES
Providing funds for subsistence uses per the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
Wildland Fire Management
Permitting the use of funds for emergency rehabilitation and restoration and hazardous fuels reduction to support emergency response and wildfire suppression.
Allowing the use of wildland fire funds to repay advances from other accounts.
Allowing reimbursement of States for certain wildfire emergency activities.
Allowing funds to be available for emergency rehabilitation, hazardous fuels reduction and emergency response.
Designating funds for suppression, hazardous fuels reduction and national fire plan research.
Designating funds for State fire assistance and volunteer fire assistance Federal and State and private lands.
Providing for cooperative agreements and grants.
Allowing funds available for Community Forest Restoration Act to be used on non-Federal land.
Limiting the transfer of wildland fire management funds between the
Designating the use of hazardous fuels reduction funds for biomass grants.
Providing that funds designated for suppression shall be assessed for cost pools.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Permitting the purchase of passenger motor vehicles and proceeds from the sale of aircraft may be used to purchase replacement aircraft.
Allowing funds for certain employment contracts.
Allowing funds to be used for purchase and alteration of buildings.
Allowing for acquisition of certain lands and interests.
Allowing expenses for certain volunteer activities.
Providing for the cost of uniforms.
Providing for debt collections on certain contracts.
Allowing transfer of funds in certain emergency situations if all other funds provided for wildfire suppression will be obligated within 30 days and the Secretary notifies the Committees.
Allowing funds to be used through the
Allowing the
Authorizing the expenditure or transfer of funds for wild horse and burro activities.
Prohibiting the transfer of funds under the
Limiting the transfer of funds for the Working Capital Fund and Department Reimbursable Program (also known as Greenbook charges).
Limiting funds to support the
Limiting the use of funds for official reception and representation expenses.
Providing for matching funds for the
Providing for matching funds for the
Allowing funds to be used for technical assistance for rural communities.
Allowing funds for payments to counties in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Allowing funds to be used for the Older Americans Act.
Permitting funding assessments for facilities maintenance, rent, utilities, and other support services.
Limiting funds to reimburse the
Permitting eligible employees to be considered a Federal Employee.
Requiring regular reporting of unobligated balances.
Designating availability of funds appropriated in a previous fiscal year for the
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICES
Providing that Tribal contract and grant funding is deemed obligated at the time of grant or contract award and remains available until expended.
Providing no-year funds for contract medical care including the
Providing for loan repayment under sections 104 and 108 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act with certain conditions and making the funds available for certain other purposes.
Providing for operational funds for leased space and accreditation emergencies.
Providing for the allocation of certain funds.
Providing that certain contracts and grants may be performed in two fiscal years.
Providing for use of collections and reporting of collections under Title IV of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
Providing no-year funding for scholarship funds.
Providing for the collection of individually identifiable health information relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act by the
Permitting the use of
CONTRACT SUPPORT COSTS
Providing for such sums as are necessary to fully fund contract support costs.
Prohibiting the transfer of funds from any other account within the
Indian Health Facilities
Providing that facilities funds may be used to purchase land, modular buildings and trailers.
Providing for TRANSAM equipment to be purchased from the
Prohibiting the use of funds for sanitation facilities for new homes funded by the
Allowing for the purchase of ambulances.
Providing for a demolition fund.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Providing for per diem expenses for senior level positions.
Providing for payments for telephone service in private residences in the field, purchase of motor vehicles, aircraft and reprints.
Providing for purchase and erection of modular buildings.
Providing funds for uniforms.
Allowing funding to be used for attendance at professional meetings.
Providing that health care may be extended to non-Indians at
Providing for transfers of funds from the
Prohibiting limitations on certain Federal travel and transportation expenses.
Requiring departmental assessments to be identified in annual budget justifications.
Allowing de-obligation and re-obligation of funds applied to self-governance funding agreements.
Prohibiting the expenditure of funds to implement new eligibility regulations.
Permitting certain reimbursements for goods and services provided to Tribes.
Providing that reimbursements for training, technical assistance, or services include total costs.
Prohibiting changes in organizational structure without advance notification to
TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH
Providing for the conduct of health studies, testing, and monitoring.
Providing deadlines for health assessments and studies.
Limiting the number of toxicological profiles.
Executive Office of the President
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Limiting the use of funds for official reception and representation expenses.
Designating the appointment and duties of the chairman.
Providing that funds in this and prior appropriations Acts shall be used to relocate persons certified as eligible.
Providing that no person can be evicted unless a replacement home is provided.
Providing that no relocatee is provided with more than one new or replacement home.
Providing for the transfer of funds to the
CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD
Permitting use of funds for hire of passenger vehicles, uniforms or allowances with per diem rate limitations.
Limiting the number of senior level positions.
Designating the individual appointed to the position of Inspector General of the
Directing use of personnel and limiting position appointments within the Board.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Limiting certain lease terms.
Providing for purchase of passenger vehicles and certain rental, repair and cleaning of uniforms.
Designating funds for certain programs and providing no- year funds.
Providing that funds may be used to support American overseas research centers.
Allowing for advance payments to independent contractors performing research services or participating in official Smithsonian presentations.
FACILITIES CAPITAL
Designating funds for maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and construction and for consultant services.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Allowing payment in advance for membership in library, museum, and art associations or societies.
Allowing for purchase, repair, and cleaning of uniforms for guards and employees and allowances therefor.
Allowing purchase or rental of devices for protecting buildings and contents thereof, and maintenance, alteration, improvement, and repair of buildings, approaches, and grounds.
Providing for restoration and repair of works of art by contract under certain circumstances.
Providing no-year funds for special exhibitions.
REPAIR, RESTORATION, AND RENOVATION OF BUILDINGS
Providing lease agreements of no more than 10 years addressing space needs created by renovations under the Master Facilities Plan.
Permitting the Gallery to perform work by contract under certain circumstances.
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Providing funds to the
CAPITAL REPAIR AND RESTORATION
Providing funds to the
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Providing funds to the
Allowing for hire of passenger vehicles and services.
National Endowment for the Arts
GRANTS AND ADMINISTRATION
Providing funds for the support of projects and productions in the arts, including arts education and public outreach activities.
National Endowment for the Humanities
GRANTS AND ADMINISTRATION
Specifying funds to carry out the matching grants program.
Allowing obligation of National Endowment for the Humanities current and prior year funds from gifts, bequests, and devises of money for which equal amounts have not previously been appropriated.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
Prohibiting the use of funds for grants and contracts which do not include the text of 18 U.S.C. 1913.
Prohibiting the use of appropriated funds and permitting the use of non-appropriated funds for reception expenses.
Allowing the chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts to approve small grants under certain circumstances.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Permitting the charging and use of fees for its publications and accepting gifts related to the history of the Nation's Capital.
Providing that one-tenth of one percent of funds provided may be used for official reception and representation expenses.
NATIONAL CAPITAL ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS
Providing funding for the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Providing funding for the
Providing that one-quarter of one percent may be used for official reception and representational expenses.
Designating funds for equipment replacement.
Designating funds for repair, rehabilitation and for exhibition design and production and providing no year availability for these funds.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Providing funding for the
CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION
Providing funding for design and construction of a memorial in honor of
Providing that the contract with respect to the procurement shall contain the availability of funds clause.
Providing that funds appropriated shall satisfy the requirement for issuing a permit.
WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Providing funding for the
Providing that the Commission may accept support from any executive branch agency for activities of the Commission.
TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Prohibiting the use of funds to promote or oppose legislative proposals on which congressional action is incomplete.
Providing for annual appropriations unless expressly provided otherwise in this Act.
Providing for disclosure of administrative expenses, assessments and requirements for operating plans.
Continuing a limitation on accepting and processing applications for patents and on the patenting of Federal lands; permitting processing of grandfathered applications; and permitting third-party contractors to process grandfathered applications.
Continuing a provision regarding the payment of contract support costs for prior fiscal years.
Addressing the payment of contract support costs for fiscal year 2018.
Continuing a provision allowing
Limiting leasing and preleasing activities within National Monuments.
Limiting takings for acquisition of lands except under certain conditions.
Continuing a provision addressing timber sales involving Alaskan western red cedar.
Prohibiting funds to enter into certain no-bid contracts except under certain conditions.
Requiring reports to
Continuing a provision that delineates grant guidelines for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Continuing a provision that delineates program priorities for the programs managed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Requiring that the
Providing a one-year extension of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.
Continuing a provision prohibiting the use of funds to promulgate or implement any regulation requiring the issuance of permits under title V of the Clean Air Act for carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, or methane emissions.
Continuing a provision prohibiting the use of funds to implement any provision in a rule if that provision requires mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems.
Modifying authorities relating to the
Prohibiting the use of funds to regulate the lead content of ammunition or fishing tackle.
Extending authorities for awarding contracts for certain activities on public lands.
Extending the authority for the Chesapeake Bay Initiative.
Extending certain authorities allowing the
Prohibiting the use of funds to maintain or establish a computer network unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography.
Extending the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act.
Setting requirements for the use of American iron and steel for certain loans and grants.
Prohibiting the use of funds to destroy buildings or structures on
Addressing carbon emissions from forest biomass.
Extending by one year the authorization for the John F.
Prohibiting the use of funds to require permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material for certain agriculture activities.
Authorizing the withdrawal of the Waters of
Addressing the implementation of national ambient air quality standards for ozone.
Prohibiting the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce any regulation that would establish new financial responsibility requirements under CERCLA.
Prohibiting the use of funds to issue any regulation under the Solid Waste Disposal Act that applies to an animal feeding operation.
Prohibiting the use of funds to further implementation of the National
Prohibiting the use of funds to limit recreational shooting and hunting on Federal and public lands except for public safety.
Making available vacant grazing allotments for permittees impacted by drought or wildfire.
Limits funds for activities related to wind turbines less than 24 nautical miles from the
Establishing a Spending Reduction Account in the bill.
Appropriations Not Authorized by Law
Pursuant to clause 3(f)(1)(B) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
COMPARISON WITH BUDGET RESOLUTION
Section 308(a)(1)(A) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-344), as amended, requires that the report accompanying a bill providing new budget authority contain a statement detailing how the authority compares with the reports submitted under section 302 of the Act for the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget for the fiscal year. This information follows:
FIVE-YEAR OUTLAY PROJECTIONS
In compliance with section 308(a)(1)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-344), as amended, the following table contains five-year projections associated with the budget authority provided in the accompanying bill:
ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
In accordance with section 308(a)(1)(C) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-344), as amended, the financial assistance to State and local governments is as follows:
PROGRAM DUPLICATION
No provision of this bill establishes or reauthorizes a program of the Federal government known to be duplicative of another Federal program, a program that was included in any report from the Government Accountability Office to
DIRECTED RULE MAKING
Pursuant to section 3(i) of
1) Endangered Species Act, gray wolves,
2) Endangered Species Act, gray wolves, western
3) Administrative Control of Funds (
TABLE OF FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS
The following table provides the amounts recommended by the Committee compared with the budget estimates by account.
DISSENTING VIEWS
When
More than three months after the
As a result, the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies (Interior) Appropriations bill falls short with insufficient funding in addition to harmful policy riders and a willful ignorance to address the reality of climate change.
The bill underfunds the
We are at a defining moment in history when our actions to combat climate change will impact the world we pass on to our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We cannot afford to disregard the overwhelming scientific evidence that the planet is warming, sea level is rising, and glaciers are melting. The recent and historic calving of a glacier in
The planet is experiencing more severe droughts, flooding, and wildfires that threaten lives and livelihoods. Climate change has the potential to adversely impact all Americans, as even noted in a
Human actions play a role in climate change, and as elected leaders we cannot turn a blind eye to the obvious need for intervention. Disappointingly, the Majority ignores this reality and instead uses the Interior bill to expedite the degradation of our environment and contribute to conditions that facilitate climate change.
The bill also disinvests in climate change research, cutting the
Further evidence of the
The Majority continues its assault on the Endangered Species Act in this bill, reducing funding for endangered species listing by 17 percent. This irresponsible cut opens the door for litigation and delays protecting and recovering vulnerable species.
This bill also shortchanges the
Once again the majority has failed to adopt the commonsense reforms championed in
Despite this bill's shortcomings in environmental protection and resource conservation, the subcommittee continues to maintain a non-partisan approach to addressing Native American issues, and the bill recommends an increase of
The bill also funds important Historic Preservation grant programs The bill provides
We applaud the Chairman for rejecting the Administration's proposal to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. These agencies honor and preserve the nation's rich cultural heritage and foster access to the arts and the humanities.
Just as problematic as funding decisions in this bill are the policy provisions that undermine clean air and water protections, block the federal government's ability to use the Endangered Species Act, and effectively repeal the Waters of the United States Rule, which protects our wetlands and waterways.
For all the reasons outlined, we cannot support this bill in its current form given the inclusion of ideological riders, dramatic cuts to environmental protection, and the insufficient allocation for the overall bill. Despite our current opposition, we intend to continue to work with Chairman Calvert through this year's appropriations process to produce a responsible bill that both parties can support.
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