PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE: HISTORIC PROTECTION FOR
AMERICA?S ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
October 11, 2000
Today, President Clinton will sign an Interior Department budget bill for
fiscal year 2001 that provides unprecedented dedicated funding for the
conservation of America?s land and coastal resources - a total of $12
billion over six years. The bill also provides increased funding for the
National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities -
a total of $225 million -- supporting important initiatives to increase
understanding and access to arts and humanities for all Americans. In
addition, the $16.9 billion budget measure increases funding to prevent and
fight wildfires, to develop and deploy new energy conservation
technologies, and to assist Native American communities.
PROVIDING DEDICATED CONSERVATION FUNDING FOR AMERICA?S TREASURES. In the
culmination of a bipartisan effort, the President and Vice President
secured dedicated conservation funding totaling $12 billion over six years
to protect parks and forests, community green spaces, and coastland. This
bill -- which will more than triple the current funding for these programs
by 2006 - represents a major step toward the goal of permanent conservation
funding. At the same time, the Clinton-Gore Administration fought back
numerous anti-environmental riders that would have traded hard-won
environmental safeguards for short-term special interest gains.
This legislation provides $1.2 billion for conservation in 2001, with an
additional $400 million to be provided in the Commerce-State-Justice
appropriations bill, for a total of $1.6 billion - more than double current
funding. This dedicated funding will rise to $2.4 billion in 2006. Nearly
two-thirds of these funds will go to the states and local communities to
protect their own special places. This will provide an historic opportunity
for the federal government to work with communities to protect the nation?s
natural treasures, and for states and local communities to provide parks
and recreation and to protect the local open green spaces and forests that
are most important to them.
This legislation represents a major step forward while the Administration
continues to work with Congress to secure additional funding.
Programs receiving dedicated multi-year funding include:
Federal and State Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) - Federal LWCF
funding has been used to protect Yellowstone National Park from mining,
the ancient redwoods in California, Civil War battlefields, and the
Appalachian Trail. This new funding will continue this progress in
places including California?s Big Sur coast, the Lewis and Clark
Historic Trail, Florida?s Everglades, the Tallgrass Prairie in North and
South Dakota, and the Sedona Red Rocks in Arizona. State LWCF funding
is available directly to states to be used for the conservation purposes
most important to them, including protection of open space and parkland
from the pressures of sprawl. The bill provides a minimum of $540
million a year for federal and state LWCF.
State and Local Programs - A minimum of $350 million a year, providing
states and local governments with a variety of tools to protect parks,
greenways, wildlife habitat, forests, and wetlands. Programs funded
are: State Wildlife Grants, Cooperative Endangered Species Fund, North
American Wetlands Conservation Fund, Forest Legacy, and planning grants
through the U.S. Geologic Survey and the Forest Service. Funding is
also provided for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program to replace local
property taxes lost when property is federally owned.
Urban and Historic Preservation Programs - A minimum of $160 million a
year, providing urban areas with funds for parks, recreation, and youth
conservation jobs programs, as well as funding for historic preservation
nationwide. Programs funded are Urban Parks Restoration and Recovery
(UPARR), Historic Preservation Fund, Urban and Community Forestry, and
Youth Conservation Corps.
Maintenance and Repair of Federal Facilities - A minimum of $150 million
a year for maintenance work at national parks, wildlife refuges, Bureau
of Land Management lands and national forests.
Coastal Programs - Sets aside a minimum of $400 million a year for
programs protecting the coastal environment, including programs to
benefit endangered Pacific salmon, coral reefs, marine sanctuaries, and
estuarine reserves. Further funding will be allocated in the Commerce,
Justice and State appropriations process.
INCREASED FUNDING FOR WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION AND REDUCTION.
The legislation provides $2.9 billion, more than twice current funding, to
address both the economic and environmental impact of this summer?s
wildland fires; to rehabilitate fire-damaged areas; to reduce the threat of
future wildfires on our forests, grasslands and private lands; and to work
with communities to prevent fires in high-risk urban/wildland interface
areas.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND SAVING MONEY THROUGH ENERGY CONSERVATION.
The legislation provides $817 million, a 10 percent increase over last
year, for research and development of more efficient cars, trucks and
buildings, and clean non-petroleum fuels; and for grants to help low-income
households insulate their homes for the coming winter. This funding -- a
record level for the Clinton-Gore Administration -- will benefit the
environment, our nation?s energy security, and consumers? pocketbooks.
PROMOTING THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN AMERICA. In 1996 Congress imposed deep
cuts on both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment
for the Humanities, which led both agencies to cut approximately 40 per
cent of their staff and reduce the number of grants awarded by
approximately two-thirds. This year, President Clinton proposed to expand
resources for the NEA and NEH to provide support for important cultural,
educational and artistic programs for communities across America. The
Interior appropriations bill the President will sign today includes
significant funding increases for both agencies. The bill increases the
NEA?s budget by $7 million, for a total of $105 million, the first increase
in more than seven years. Among other important grant programs, NEA will
use these funds to move forward with Challenge America, which provides
grants to expand arts education and promotion in traditionally underserved
communities. The bill also increases NEH?s budget by $5 million -- to a
total of $120 million -- which will allow the agency to fund important
cultural and humanities programs across the nation, including programs to
broaden access to the humanities programs in traditionally underserved
areas.
INCREASED FUNDING FOR NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS. The bill also provides
$4.9 billion for the Departments of Interior and Health and Human Services,
a 12 percent increase, for key components of the Administration?s Native
American Initiative Program, including most of the requested investments in
Indian school construction, law enforcement, and health care.
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