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Appropriations Update Continued
GLIN-folks!
More news on the Appropriations front, direct to you from the Great Lakes
Congressional Task Force.
In an interesting twist on the usual progression of events, the Senate has
passed its version of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill while the
House just completed its full committee markup.
Environmentally responsible dredging appears to have finally been embraced
by Congress. Both the House and Senate bills provide the Great Lakes Task
Force request of $2 million for the Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials
Provision of WRDA. Both bodies also provided substantial increases for the
Restoration of Environmental Quality (House increase of $4 million to $21
million, Senate increase of $8 million to $25 million) and Aquatic
Ecosystem Restoration (New program: House $9.9 million, Senate $2.75
million). Significant portions of this funding are earmarked in the House
bill and we are uncertain what proportion ofthis funding will directly
benefit the Great Lakes. The Senate also provided the President's request
of $6 million for dredging operations research and development (an increase
of $4 million. The House provided level funding ($2 million) for this
account. Neither body included the Great Lakes Task Force requested
language directing that a portion of these funds be used for sediment
remediation demonstration projects.
Planning Assistance to States was funded by both the House ($5 million) and
Senate ($6 million) at levels significantly above the Great Lakes Task
Force requested increase.
The House Energy and Water report contains language directing funds to a
number of specific new programs of interest to the Great Lakes which were
neglected in the Senate bill. These include $500,000 for the Duluth
Alternative Technology Project and $500,000 for Sediment Transport
Modelling and Sediment Management Planning. The House also provided
$500,000 for RAP Assistance and $200,000 for improvement of the Soo Lock
system (both neglected in the Senate bill).
Aquatic nuisance species research by the Corps also was recommended for
increased funding by both bodies. The House Provided $2.6 million for
aquatic nuisance plant conrol research, equal to the base President's
request (but not including the add-ons for Hydrilla and Elodea). The
Senate provided $6.6 million for this account in its bill, also with no
regional or species specific earmarks. The Senate provided $2.5 million
for 'zebra mussel research', an increase of $500,000 over FY1997 funding
and above the Great Lakes Task Force request. Senate committee staff have
indicated that this level is intended to include funding for the dispersal
barrier demonstration project at the Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal.
Combining the two projects places the Senate funding level at the Great
Lakes Task Force request level. The House report also specifies funding
for the Dispersal Barrier Demonstration at $500,000 with zebra mussel
research presumed to be at the President's request level of $2 million.
The Interior bill passed the House earlier this month and had its full
committee markup on the Senate yesterday. The House provided funding at
the President's requested levels for the Fish and Wildlife Service portions
of the Great Lakes Initiative. $1.578 million (an increase of $578,000
above FY 1997 study levels) was provided for Fish and Wildlife Restoration
efforts. $2.192 million, an increase of $1 million, was provided for the
Aquatic Nuisance Species Program. With expansion of this program to a
National effort, the Task Force expects that this funding level will be
sufficient to maintain the Great Lakes program at its current level (with
the possible exception of a small cut to the regional coordination effort
to offset national coordination).
Programs of the National Biological Service have now been transferred to
the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey. This
transfer makes comparisons between FY 1997 and FY 1998 funding levels
difficult. The House provided an increase of $500,000 for the Great Lakes
Science Center, half of increase requested by the Great Lakes Task Force.
The House significantly raised the base funding for the Cooperative
research units (from $9.5 million in FY 1997 to $13.7 million). We are not
certain how this increase will be reflected in the cooperative research
units efforts on nonindigenous species in the Great Lakes basin. The House
also provided the Great Lakes Task Force requested funding level of
$750,000 for BRD exotic species research in the Eastern Division. We
anticipate that approximately $300,000 of this amount will be used for
Great Lakes research.
Both the House and Senate have held full committee markups of the
Transportation Appropriations bill. Both bodies committed to continued
operation of the icebreaking vessel Mackinaw. The Senate bill reiterated
that assessment of fees for icebreaking would be unacceptable. Both bodies
also provided the president's requested funding level for ballast water
programs established under the National Invasive Species Act. This funding
level is expected to provide sufficient funds for the expansion of the
ballast water guidelines and prevention program to national standing
without compromising the existing Great Lakes program. However, the
Administration estimates that only $6,000 would be provided for the Ballast
Discharge Study, far less than the $1 million estimated by the Great Lakes
Task Force to be necessary for implementation of the study. Senator Kohl
was also successful in adding language requested by the Great Lakes Task
Force to the Senate report which provides a $1 million increase above the
President's request to the Coast Guard research and development account and
which directs that this increase be used in addition to the $1.529 million
requested by the Administration for the ANS program for the explicit
purpose of furthering research into a nonchemical interim ballast
management practice applicable to vessels reporting no ballast on board.
If enacted, this funding would be a great triumph for the Great Lakes since
approximately 90% of vessels entering the Great Lakes system currently
enter reporting no ballast on board.
The VA,HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill was passed by the
House and is currently under consideration by the Senate. Both bills
include funding for the Sec. 106 Water Quality Grants ($95.5 million),
Pollution Prevention Grants ($6 million), the Great Waters Program (at
least $3 million), and the Great Lakes Fish Consumption Study ($2.5
million) at the Great Lakes Task Force requested funding level. The House
bill provides $110 million for Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants with
additional report language indicating that funds can also be used in
support of the Clean Lakes Program. The Senate bill provides the Great
Lakes Task Force request of $100 million for the Section 319 Grants, but
provides no additional funding for the Clean Lakes Program.
The House provided funding for the Great Lakes National Program Office
(GLNPO) at the Great Lakes Task Force request of restored FY 1996 level
funding ($14.7 million). The Senate provided only for the increase
requested by the President (up $200,000 to $13.3 million). The House also
provided $250,000 for the Dispersal Containment Analysis (half of the Great
Lakes Task Force request) required under the National Invasive Species Act.
This project was envisioned under NISA as a joint EPA-Corps venture, with
EPA to perform the analysis and the Corps to provide engineering expertise
and construction. Discrepancy in funding between the two groups (both
bodies providing for the Corps portion) may cause difficulties in project
coordination.
That's all for now, GLIN-folks! I'll try to keep you updated as we get
more information. The information will also be made available in chart
format on the NE-MW home page (http://www.nemw.org) as fast as we can get
it there.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us:
Rochelle Sturtevant, Coordinator, Senate Great Lakes Task Force
202-224-4229.
Sara Gottlieb, House Great Lakes Task Force, Office of Rep. LaTourette,
202-225-5731.
Whitman Miller, Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Office of Senator Glenn,
202-224-0388.