[House Report 113-551]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 113-551
======================================================================
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2015
_______
July 23, 2014.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Calvert, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
together with
MINORITY VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 5171]
The Committee on Appropriations submits the following
report in explanation of the accompanying bill making
appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and Related Agencies for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2015. The bill provides
regular annual appropriations for the Department of the
Interior (except the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah
Project), the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other
related agencies, including the Forest Service, the Indian
Health Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National
Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities.
CONTENTS
Page number
Bill Report
Title I--Department of the Interior: 2
10
Bureau of Land Management.......................... 2
10
United States Fish and Wildlife Service............ 8
14
National Park Service.............................. 18
28
United States Geological Survey.................... 22
36
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.................. 24
39
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement..... 25
40
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement.................................... 28
41
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian
Education...................................... 30
43
Office of the Secretary............................ 39
49
Insular Affairs.................................... 40
50
Office of the Solicitor............................ 44
51
Office of Inspector General........................ 44
51
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. 44
51
Department-wide Programs: 46
52
Wildland Fire Management, Interior Department...... 46
52
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund, Interior
Department..................................... 49
53
Central Hazardous Materials Fund................... 49
54
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration. 50
54
Working Capital Fund............................... 50
54
General Provisions, Department of the Interior..... 52
54
Title II--Environmental Protection Agency: 62
55
Science and Technology............................. 62
57
Environmental Programs and Management.............. 63
59
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Fund.... 64
66
Office of Inspector General........................ 64
66
Buildings and Facilities........................... 64
66
Hazardous Substance Superfund...................... 64
67
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program 65
68
Inland Oil Spill Programs.......................... 66
69
State and Tribal Assistance Grants................. 66
69
Administrative Provisions.......................... 73
72
Title III--Related Agencies: 75
72
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture..... 75
72
Wildland Fire Management, Forest Service........... 80
82
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund, Forest
Service........................................ 84
84
Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services............................. 91
84
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 99
88
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry... 99
88
Other Related Agencies: 100
89
Council on Environmental Quality and Office of
Environmental Quality.......................... 100
89
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board..... 101
89
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation........ 102
90
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native
Culture and Arts Development................... 103
91
Smithsonian Institution............................ 103
91
National Gallery of Art............................ 105
93
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts..... 106
93
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars... 107
94
National Endowment for the Arts.................... 107
94
National Endowment for the Humanities.............. 108
95
Commission of Fine Arts............................ 109
96
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs......... 110
96
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.......... 110
97
National Capital Planning Commission............... 110
97
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum............ 110
97
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission........... n/a
98
Title IV--General Provisions: 111
99
INTRODUCTION
The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015 totals
$30,220,000,000. This amount reflects a $162,000,000 increase
from the amount appropriated in fiscal year 2014 and a
$408,889,000 reduction from the budget request.
The amounts in the accompanying bill are reflected by title
in the table below.
BUDGET AUTHORITY RECOMMENDED IN BILL BY TITLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee bill
Activity Budget estimates, Committee bill, compared with
fiscal year 2015 fiscal year 2015 budget estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title I, Department of the Interior:
New budget authority............................... $10,794,136,000 $10,991,737,000 +$197,601,000
Title II, Environmental Protection Agency:
New budget authority............................... 7,890,020,000 7,482,747,000 -407,273,000
Title III, Related Agencies:
New budget authority............................... 11,944,733,000 11,745,516,000 -199,217,000
Title IV, General Provisions:
New budget authority............................... 0 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------
Grand total, New budget authority................ 30,628,889,000 30,220,000,000 -408,889,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Oversight
Members of Congress have provided considerable input in
fashioning this bill. In total, 333 Members submitted nearly
3,200 programmatic requests relating to multiple agencies and
programs.
The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee takes seriously its oversight responsibility and
conducted 13 budget hearings and briefings this year (including
six hearings involving the public and American Indians and
Alaska Natives) to carefully review the programs and budgets
under its jurisdiction. The Subcommittee held the following
oversight hearings:
Department of the Interior FY15 budget oversight hearing--
March 25, 2014
Environmental Protection Agency FY15 budget oversight
hearing--March 27, 2014
U.S. Forest Service FY15 budget oversight hearing--April 2,
2014
National Park Service FY15 budget oversight hearing--April
3, 2014
Fish and Wildlife Service FY15 budget oversight hearing--
April 3, 2014
Bureau of Land Management FY15 budget oversight hearing--
April 4, 2014
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement FY15 budget oversight hearing--April
4, 2014
American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses--April 7,
2014 (morning)
American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses--April 7,
2014 (afternoon)
American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses--April 8,
2014 (morning)
American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses--April 8,
2014 (afternoon)
Public Witnesses--April 10, 2014 (morning)
Public Witnesses--April 10, 2014 (afternoon)
In total, 144 individuals representing the Executive
Branch, Congress, State, tribal, and local governments, and the
general public testified before the Subcommittee. In addition
to those who testified personally, over 140 individuals and
organizations provided written testimony for the permanent
hearing record. These hearings are contained in eight published
volumes totaling over 10,000 pages which are publicly available
online.
COST OF WILDLAND FIRE
In eight of the last ten years, the Forest Service and the
Department of the Interior have exceeded their wildland fire
suppression budgets despite being fully funded at the ten-year
suppression average for such costs. Fire seasons have grown
longer and more destructive, putting people, communities, and
ecosystems at greater risk. Fire borrowing has now become
routine rather than extraordinary. Borrowing from non-fire
accounts to pay suppression costs results in the Forest Service
and Department of the Interior having fewer resources available
for forest management activities, including hazardous fuels
management and other proven efforts to improve overall forest
health and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fires.
The Committee believes the most catastrophic wildland fires
should be treated similar to other major natural disasters such
as floods and hurricanes and funded through the disaster cap
adjustment established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L.
112-25). This common sense reform would allow for a more
responsible and stable way to budget for wildland fire costs.
As Congress continues to debate the best approach for fire
budgeting, the Committee has provided robust wildland fire
funding in its fiscal year 2015 bill. The bill includes a total
of $4.088 billion in wildland fire funding for the Department
of the Interior and the Forest Service, $149 million above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level. Fire suppression accounts
(including FLAME) are again fully funded at the ten-year
average level. Hazardous fuels funding, a critical component of
an effective overall fire strategy, is increased by $90 million
over the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. And, the Committee has
provided an additional $470 million in funding to address the
projected shortfall in suppression funding for fiscal year
2014.
PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES (PILT)
The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides
compensation to local governments for the loss of tax revenue
resulting from the presence of Federal land in their county or
State. In 2014, 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
received PILT payments.
Mandatory funding for PILT payments is scheduled to expire
on September 30, 2014. The Committee has included bill language
extending by one year the mandatory authorization for full PILT
funding for fiscal year 2015.
REC FEE AUTHORITY
Enacted in 2004, the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement
Act (FLREA) authorized five agencies to collect and expend
recreation fees on land they manage: the Department of the
Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of
Reclamation (BOR), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Forest Service (USFS). These fees, which leverage
other funding sources and complement appropriated funds, fund
projects that directly benefit the visitor experience.
The authority for FLREA is scheduled to sunset in December
2014 which will result in agencies no longer having explicit
recreation fee authority. This would impact the Department of
the Interior's estimated annual collection of $200 million, of
which the National Park Service collects nearly $180 million.
In 2013, the rec fee program collected nearly $260 million from
the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior combined.
An extension of rec fee authority is necessary for land
managers to plan for upcoming seasons including selling annual
passes, hiring seasonal employees, planning projects,
organizing volunteers, and accepting reservations.
The budget request includes a legislative proposal to
continue the existing authority. In order to prevent the
expiration of the authority and allow authorizing committees of
jurisdiction ample time to consider extending and perhaps
modifying this authority, the Committee has included within
Title IV General Provisions a one-year extension of the current
rec fee authority.
COST OF LITIGATION
The Committee continues to be concerned that many of the
legitimate goals of the Forest Service, the Department of the
Interior, and other agencies under the Committee's
jurisdiction--as well as the work of this Committee--are
undermined by litigation filed in an effort to shift land
management decisions from the agencies to the courts,
regardless of merit.
Litigation is a huge unbudgeted cost for land management
agencies. The Committee is concerned that, as budgets shrink,
agencies are forced to settle lawsuits quickly because they
don't have funds available to complete court-imposed work. In
addition, the courts are not concerned whether agencies have
funding necessary to meet court mandates. As a result, the
courts are playing an increasing role in determining how and
where agencies use their funding.
Given ongoing concerns, the Department of the Interior,
EPA, and the Forest Service are directed to provide to the
House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, and to make
publicly available no later than 60 days after enactment of
this Act, detailed Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) fee
information as specified in the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2014.
WESTERN GROUSE AND THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
The Committee remains concerned about the recent listing of
the lesser prairie chicken, the proposed listing of the
Gunnison sage-grouse and the bi-State distinct population
segment (DPS) of greater sage-grouse, and the potential
proposed listing for greater sage-grouse range-wide and in the
Columbia Basin DPS. These species and populations are
collectively known as western grouse, and the aforementioned
listing actions impact 17 western States in the lower 48 States
from North Dakota to Texas and from Washington to California.
Based on past experience and recent evidence, the States
are rightfully concerned that these listings will fail at
recovery while eliminating jobs and curtailing future job
growth, devastating State and local economies, and undermining
the nation's ability to develop conventional and renewable
resources necessary for energy independence.
In addition to sharing the States' concerns, the Committee
is concerned that the Fish and Wildlife Service's actions on
western grouse are being driven by litigation deadlines that
leave the Service with no flexibility to take into
consideration the extraordinary conservation planning efforts
and expenditures at the Federal, State, and local levels. It is
clear to the Committee that the conservation of western grouse
is a commonly-shared long-term goal that should be afforded an
opportunity to demonstrate success that extends beyond any
arbitrary Federal regulatory deadline, so long as extinction is
not imminent.
Therefore, the Committee recommendation includes a general
provision in Title I of the bill, delaying for one year any
final rule to list the Gunnison sage-grouse or the bi-State DPS
of greater sage-grouse, and any proposed rule to list the
greater sage-grouse range-wide or in the Columbia Basin. The
Committee expects all stakeholders to maintain the current pace
of work in good faith during the fiscal year to demonstrate
that sage-grouse conservation is working. The Committee directs
the Bureau of Land Management not to delay the processing of
permits due to any uncertainty surrounding the listing of
western grouse. The Committee directs the Fish and Wildlife
Service to include in its fiscal year 2016 budget submission an
update on the status of all western grouse. The Committee
intends to revisit any future legislative listing delays on an
annual basis so as to prevent extinction.
Furthermore, the recommendation concentrates existing
resources on western grouse conservation in the following key
areas:
Wildland Fire.--The Committee continues to be concerned
about the threat wildland fire poses to sage-grouse and directs
the Department of the Interior to use resources made available
under the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the
Interior's Wildland Fire Program to reduce and mitigate
catastrophic fire. Further, the Committee directs the
Department to use the additional $4,000,000 above the budget
request for emergency stabilization and rehabilitation to
restore areas burned by wildland fire with an emphasis on
restoring sage-grouse habitat.
Invasive Species.--The Committee recommendation continues
funding for all ongoing invasive species programs at the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level, but includes a general provision in
Title IV of the bill to cap administrative activities at ten
percent, in an effort to get more invasive species program
dollars on the ground.
Federal Lands.--The BLM is responsible for managing the
majority of sage-grouse habitat. Congress appropriated
$15,000,000 in both fiscal year 2013 and 2014 for the BLM to
plan for sage-grouse conservation. The Committee recommends
$15,000,000 again for fiscal year 2015 so that the BLM can
implement and begin evaluating those plans.
Private Lands.--The Partners for Fish and Wildlife program
within the Fish and Wildlife Service is a voluntary, non-
regulatory program designed to help willing landowners conserve
habitat on their lands. The Committee recommendation continues
funding for this program at the fiscal year 2014 enacted level,
and directs the program to adjust its regional funding
allocations as necessary so that implementation of the Sage
Grouse Initiative is the program's top priority.
State Efforts.--States have primary management
responsibility of most wildlife within their borders. The State
and Tribal Wildlife Grants program within the Fish and Wildlife
Service is designed to help States and Tribes restore imperiled
species so that they don't have to be listed under the
Endangered Species Act. The President proposed to cut the
program by $8,695,000 in fiscal year 2015. The Committee
recommendation restores the proposed cut and directs the funds
to competitive interstate grants that specifically address
species listed as Candidates under the ESA, such as sage-
grouse. This increase is partially offset by redirecting a
$4,000,000 increase requested by the President for 20 new sage-
grouse ESA personnel.
STATE WILDLIFE DATA
The Committee is concerned that the Department of the
Interior, its bureaus, and the Forest Service are not
maximizing the opportunity to save funds and leverage States'
on-the-ground wildlife expertise. State wildlife agencies often
have the best available science on species and retain primary
jurisdiction over most wildlife on Federal, State, and private
lands. The Federal government should recognize and fully
utilize State resources, including scientific information about
species population numbers, conservation status, and habitat
availability, among other data. The Committee directs Federal
agencies to cooperatively engage with State wildlife agencies
and to use State fish and wildlife data and analyses as a
primary source to inform Federal land use, land planning, and
related natural resource decisions. The agencies should not
duplicate analysis of raw data previously prepared by the
States. Federal agencies should also provide their data to
State wildlife managers to ensure that the most complete data
is available to be incorporated into all decision support
systems.
ADDRESSING UNATTAINABLE REGULATORY STANDARDS
In May 2014, the Administration released the latest Unified
Regulatory Agenda which included more than 130 proposed
regulatory actions by the EPA. The Committee has had
longstanding concerns with respect to EPA's process for setting
standards through the IRIS process, and reforms are ongoing.
Similarly the Committee has had longstanding concerns about
EPA's process for setting standards that may be technically or
economically unachievable, and issuing new regulations while
needed reforms have not been implemented. While the House has
passed numerous regulatory reform efforts, the Administration
has failed to adopt the most common sense solutions. In light
of the Administration's failure to institute necessary reforms,
the fiscal year 2015 Interior and Environment appropriations
bill proposes to address several of EPA's unattainable
regulatory standards including:
EPA's proposed standards for new power plants
which assume carbon capture and storage technologies that are
not commercially available and scalable;
EPA's proposed guidelines for existing power
plants which cannot be met through technological or operating
improvements at affected facilities;
EPA's lead renovation rule which sets onerous
standards for test kits that remain commercially unavailable;
and
EPA's ballast water rule which assumes compliance
using Coast Guard certified technologies that don't exist.
Recent Agency actions to preclude development based on
hypothetical scenarios and to expand jurisdiction over water
bodies prior to scientific input further demonstrates a lack of
Agency regard for science, process, and impacts. In addition,
EPA's failure to actively promote and implement its integrated
planning approach framework for municipalities to address, in
the most efficient way possible, the multiple competing
wastewater, storm water, and drinking water regulatory
requirements that the Agency is imposing on them, is
unacceptably burdening many municipalities economically and
preventing them from being able to address their most serious
water quality issues. While the Committee has provided funds in
the bill to protect human health and the environment by
improving air quality, providing clean water, and remediating
pollution, no funds have been provided in this bill for
specific rule-makings that reflect Administration overreach.
REPROGRAMMING GUIDELINES
The following are the procedures governing reprogramming
actions for programs and activities funded in the Department of
the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act. The Committee reminds the agencies funded in this Act that
these reprogramming guidelines are in effect, and must be
complied with, until such time as the Committee modifies them
through bill or report language.
Definitions.--``Reprogramming,'' as defined in these
procedures, includes the reallocation of funds from one budget
activity, budget line-item or program area, to another within
any appropriation funded in this Act.
For construction, land acquisition, and forest legacy
accounts, a reprogramming constitutes the reallocation of
funds, including unobligated balances, from one construction,
land acquisition, or forest legacy project to another such
project.
A reprogramming shall also consist of any significant
departure from the program described in the agency's budget
justifications. This includes proposed reorganizations,
especially those of significant national or regional
importance, even without a change in funding. Any change to the
organization table presented in the budget justification shall
be subject to this requirement.
General Guidelines for Reprogramming.--
(a) A reprogramming should be made only when an unforeseen
situation arises, and then only if postponement of the project
or the activity until the next appropriation year would result
in actual loss or damage.
(b) Any project or activity, which may be deferred through
reprogramming, shall not later be accomplished by means of
further reprogramming, but instead, funds should again be
sought for the deferred project or activity through the regular
appropriations process.
(c) Except under the most urgent situations, reprogramming
should not be employed to initiate new programs or increase
allocations specifically denied or limited by Congress, or to
decrease allocations specifically increased by the Congress.
(d) Reprogramming proposals submitted to the House and
Senate Committees on Appropriations for approval shall be
considered approved 30 calendar days after receipt if the
Committees have posed no objection. However, agencies will be
expected to extend the approval deadline if specifically
requested by either Committee.
Criteria and Exceptions.--A reprogramming must be submitted
to the Committees in writing prior to implementation if it
exceeds $1,000,000 annually or results in an increase or
decrease of more than 10 percent annually in affected programs,
with the following exceptions:
(a) With regard to the tribal priority allocations of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, there
is no restriction on reprogrammings among these programs.
However, the Bureaus shall report on all reprogrammings made
during a given fiscal year no later than 60 days after the end
of the fiscal year.
(b) With regard to the EPA, State and Tribal Assistance
Grants account, the Committee does not require reprogramming
requests associated with States and Tribes Partnership Grants.
Assessments.--``Assessment'' as defined in these procedures
shall refer to any charges, reserves, or holdbacks applied to a
budget activity or budget line item for costs associated with
general agency administrative costs, overhead costs, working
capital expenses, or contingencies.
(a) No assessment shall be levied against any program,
budget activity, subactivity, budget line item, or project
funded by the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act unless such assessment and the basis
therefor are presented to the Committees on Appropriations in
the budget justifications and are subsequently approved by the
Committees. The explanation for any assessment in the budget
justification shall show the amount of the assessment, the
activities assessed, and the purpose of the funds.
(b) Proposed changes to estimated assessments, as such
estimates were presented in annual budget justifications, shall
be submitted through the reprogramming process and shall be
subject to the same dollar and reporting criteria as any other
reprogramming.
(c) The Committee directs that each agency or bureau which
utilizes assessments shall submit an annual report to the
Committees which provides details on the use of all funds
assessed from any other budget activity, line item,
subactivity, or project.
(d) In no case shall contingency funds or assessments be
used to finance projects and activities disapproved or limited
by Congress, or to finance programs or activities that could be
foreseen and included in the normal budget review process.
(e) New programs requested in the budget should not be
initiated before enactment of the bill without notification to,
and the approval of, the Committees on Appropriations. This
restriction applies to all such actions regardless of whether a
formal reprogramming of funds is required to begin the program.
Quarterly Reports.--All reprogrammings between budget
activities, budget line items, program areas, or the more
detailed activity levels shown in this agreement, including
those below the monetary thresholds established above, shall be
reported to the Committees within 60 days of the end of each
quarter and shall include cumulative totals for each budget
activity, budget line item, or construction, land acquisition,
or forest legacy project.
Land Acquisitions, Easements, and Forest Legacy.--Lands
shall not be acquired for more than the approved appraised
value (as addressed in section 301(3) of Public Law 91-646),
unless such acquisitions are submitted to the Committees on
Appropriations for approval in compliance with these
procedures.
Land Exchanges.--Land exchanges, wherein the estimated
value of the Federal lands to be exchanged is greater than
$1,000,000, shall not be consummated until the Committees have
had a 30-day period in which to examine the proposed exchange.
In addition, the Committees shall be provided advance
notification of exchanges valued between $500,000 and
$1,000,000.
Budget Structure.--The budget activity or line item
structure for any agency appropriation account shall not be
altered without advance approval of the House and Senate
Committees on Appropriations.
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
MANAGEMENT OF LANDS AND RESOURCES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $956,875,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 954,085,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 957,180,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +305,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +3,095,000
The Committee recommends $957,180,000 for Management of
Lands and Resources, $305,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $3,095,000 above the budget request.
Requested increases for fixed costs are not funded. A detailed
table of funding recommendations below the account level is
provided at the end of this report. The Committee
recommendation includes further details below.
Soil, Water, and Air Management.--The Committee recommends
$43,848,000 for soil, water, and air management, $909,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $1,504,000 below the
budget request. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Program is
funded at $1,500,000. No funds are provided for the youth in
the great outdoors initiative.
Rangeland Management.--The Committee recommends $80,700,000
for rangeland management, $1,700,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $5,772,000 above the budget request. The
amount above the request should be used to hire the staff
necessary to reduce the grazing permit backlog and carry out a
systematic program of range monitoring, land health
assessments, development and implementation of allotment
management plans, and adaptive management. The Bureau is
directed to investigate whether targeted grazing can help to
conserve sage-grouse habitat. The Committee rejects the
Bureau's proposal to impose new grazing fees.
Acceptance of Donation of Certain Existing Permits or
Leases.--The Committee notes with concern that legislation to
make land available for the mitigation of impacts on wildlife
upon the relinquishment of certain grazing permits or leases in
the California Desert (section 122(b) of Division E of Public
Law 112-174) has not been implemented as Congress intended. The
purpose of the legislation is to establish a mitigation bank to
provide: an expedited path forward for allowable development
including renewable energy; an environmental benefit to
wildlife; and opportunities for local governing agencies to
plan and mitigate their growth without removing private lands
from the tax rolls. The Committee recognizes that these goals
are consistent with the Secretary's priorities of renewable
energy development and landscape-level conservation, and
therefore encourages the Secretary to oversee efforts to
convene all parties involved, and to work openly and in good
faith to resolve remaining issues including: quantification of
the mitigation benefit derived from the retirement of grazing
permits; permanence or ``durability'' of the mitigation derived
from voluntary grazing permit relinquishments; and
establishment of a mitigation bank to expedite approved
development projects within the California Desert Conservation
Area.
Horse and Burro Management.--The Committee recommends
$80,045,000 to implement Public Law 92-195 (16 U.S.C. 1331 et
seq.) requiring the protection, management, and control of
free-roaming horses and burros on public lands, $2,800,000
above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $193,000 below the
budget request. Within this amount, the Committee recommends
$1,000,000 to study and test the feasibility of implementing a
sterilization program in partnership with universities and non-
profit organizations in order to ensure that the program is
scientifically sound and humanely implemented. The Committee
also supports continued research to develop and refine a
variety of fertility-control methods, including
immunocontraceptives, which allow for self-sustaining
populations of wild horses and burros while maintaining the
genetic viability of the protected herds. The bill continues a
prohibition on funds to implement Section 1333(b)(2)(C) of
Title 16, United States Code, requiring the humane destruction
of excess animals that are not adopted. The bill also continues
a general provision within Title I allowing the BLM to enter
into long-term contracts and agreements for holding facilities
off the range.
The horse and burro management program in its current state
is unsustainable and the Committee cannot afford to perpetuate
the situation for much longer. The Committee received testimony
this year from advocates for a long-term strategy of
sustainable, non-lethal population management, as well as
advocates for short-term solutions to the problems caused by an
overabundance of free-roaming horses and burros currently on
the range. The Committee has a responsibility to see that both
issues are addressed and invites the Bureau and bipartisan
stakeholders to work with the Committee in preparation for the
fiscal year 2016 budget.
Wildlife Management.--The Committee recommends $52,338,000
for wildlife management, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $251,000 below the budget request. The recommendation
includes $15,000,000 for sage-grouse conservation, as
requested. Sage-grouse conservation is discussed in further
detail in the front of this report.
Plant Conservation Program.--The Committee is supportive of
the Bureau's existing plant conservation and native plant
materials program and expects the Bureau to continue the
program through resources provided under various accounts. The
Committee is concerned that the Bureau's policy of using highly
localized genetic varieties of native seeds may be
unnecessarily limiting, driving up procurement costs, and
causing delays in re-seeding areas burned by fire. The Bureau
is directed to publish its yearly estimated seed needs by
variety, to be more transparent with the science supporting its
policy, and to more clearly explain the policy in the fiscal
year 2016 budget request.
Recreation Management.--The Committee recommends
$63,906,000 for recreation resources management, $3,055,000
below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $4,551,000 below
the budget request. No funds are provided for the youth in the
great outdoors initiative. The bill includes a general
provision in Title IV prohibiting the use of funds to close
areas open to recreational hunting and shooting as of January
1, 2013.
The Committee is concerned about the BLM's potential
development or expansion of new public lands along a portion of
the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma that are the subject
of a long-standing boundary dispute. The Committee directs the
Secretary to consult with the States and Congress before taking
any further action.
Energy and Minerals.--The Committee recommends $147,493,000
for energy and minerals, $17,374,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $44,714,000 above the budget request. The
recommendation includes the redistribution of inspection base
funding from Oil and Gas Management to Oil and Gas Inspection
and Enforcement. The recommendation includes the increases
requested to implement GAO-recommended reforms in oil and gas
management, inspection, and enforcement, but pays for the
increases from reductions elsewhere in the bill instead of
through the proposed new inspection fees.
Resource Management Planning.--The Committee recommends
$38,125,000 for resource management planning, $1,000,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $4,274,000 below the
budget request. Included is $1,000,000 to initiate the
requested geospatial information program. The Committee
cautions the Bureau not to duplicate existing efforts at the
U.S. Geological Survey and in the private sector.
Law Enforcement.--The Committee recommends $20,000,000 for
law enforcement, $5,325,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $5,657,000 below the budget request. The Bureau is
directed to focus on visitor safety and archaeological resource
protection, and to defer to the Department of Justice and the
Department of Homeland Security for investigative and other
non-emergency matters of Federal law not unique to Bureau lands
or property.
Challenge Cost Share.--The Committee recommends $3,464,000
for the challenge cost share program, $1,051,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $115,000 below the budget
request. The Committee directs the Bureau to focus the program
on supporting the goals of the youth in the great outdoors
initiative. The Committee believes those goals are best
achieved through partnerships with the outdoor industry and the
general public for projects focused on the maintenance and
development of trails. Of the funds provided, $300,000 is for
long-standing outdoor ethics education and stewardship programs
designed to help keep America's public lands healthy, open and
accessible for opportunities to enjoy responsible outdoor
recreation, especially high-impact activities such as
recreational shooting and off-highway vehicle use.
National Landscape Conservation System.--The Committee
recommends $30,819,000 for the national landscape conservation
system, $1,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$3,181,000 below the budget request. No funds are provided for
the youth in the great outdoors initiative. The bill includes a
general provision in Title I prohibiting the use of funds to
implement Secretarial Order Number 3310 pertaining to wild
lands.
Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act
of 2000.--The Committee is concerned that BLM has attempted to
place the responsibility for fencing upon private landowners
within the cattle free area identified by the Act, despite the
Act's clear mandate that fencing is BLM's responsibility. The
BLM is directed to comply with the Act.
LAND ACQUISITION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $19,463,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 25,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 4,816,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -14,647,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -20,184,000
The Committee recommends $4,816,000 for Land Acquisition,
$14,647,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$20,184,000 below the budget request. The amounts recommended
by the Committee compared with the budget estimates by activity
are shown in the table at the end of this report.
The Committee directs the Bureau of Land Management to
prioritize recreational access projects that significantly
enhance access to existing public lands that are impractical to
access for hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities.
OREGON AND CALIFORNIA GRANT LANDS
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $114,467,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 103,957,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 114,467,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +10,510,000
The Committee recommends $114,467,000 for the Oregon and
California grant lands, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $10,510,000 above the budget request. A detailed
table of funding recommendations below the account level is
provided at the end of this report.
RANGE IMPROVEMENTS
The Committee recommends an indefinite appropriation of not
less than $10,000,000 to be derived from public lands receipts
and Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act lands grazing receipts, as
requested.
SERVICE CHARGES, DEPOSITS, AND FORFEITURES
The Committee recommends an indefinite appropriation
estimated to be $32,465,000 for Service Charges, Deposits, and
Forfeitures, as requested.
MISCELLANEOUS TRUST FUNDS
The Committee recommends an indefinite appropriation
estimated to be $24,000,000, as requested.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
The Committee recommendation includes the requested
Administrative Provisions.
UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
is to conserve, protect and enhance fish and wildlife and their
habitats for the continuing benefit of people. The Service has
responsibility for migratory birds, threatened and endangered
species, certain inter-jurisdictional fisheries, certain marine
mammals, the National Fish Hatchery System, and the National
Wildlife Refuge System.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $1,188,339,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 1,260,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 500,842,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -687,497,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -759,158,000
The Committee recommends $500,842,000 for Resource
Management, $687,497,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $759,158,000 below the budget request. Most of the
perceived reduction represents transfers to new accounts for
Partners for Fish and Wildlife, the National Wildlife Refuge
System, and Fish and Aquatic Conservation, which were
previously within the Resource Management account. A detailed
table of funding recommendations below the account level is
provided at the end of this report. The Committee
recommendation includes further details below.
Ecological Services.--The Committee recommends against the
proposed new consolidated budget structure for Ecological
Services. The Committee received hearing testimony this year
from Service partners expressing concern about a decrease in
budget transparency as a result of the proposal. The Committee
shares this concern, in particular because habitat conservation
plans (HCPs), recovery and delisting, and environmental
contaminants remain funding priorities. The fate of those
activities in particular would have been less certain under the
proposed new structure.
Endangered Species.--The Committee recommends $169,537,000
for endangered species, $974,000 below the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and incomparable to the budget request because of
the proposed budget restructuring. The Committee recommendation
includes new bill language allowing for the transfer of funds
from Resource Management to Fish and Aquatic Conservation for
non-regulatory ESA activities.
Candidate Conservation.--The Committee recommends
$11,219,000 for the conservation of candidate species, $311,000
below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and incomparable to
the budget request because of the proposed budget
restructuring. The Committee recommends against the proposed
increase of $4,000,000 and 20 new FTE employees for sage-
grouse, and instead recommends that the funds be used to help
restore the proposed cut to the State and Tribal Wildlife
Grants program. Sage-grouse conservation is discussed in
further detail in the front of this report.
Listing and Critical Habitat.--The Committee recommends
$17,852,000 for ESA listings and critical habitat designations,
$2,663,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$4,927,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation continues bill language as requested, capping
funds for ESA listings, critical habitat designations, and
petitions in order to limit the impacts of petitions and
lawsuits on the rest of the budget. The Committee remains
concerned that deadlines imposed by the 2011 multispecies
litigation settlements may be compromising the Service's
ability to be thorough in its economic impact analyses, to
provide fair public notice and opportunity to comment, to base
decisions upon the best available scientific evidence, and to
be exceptionally transparent with the information upon which
its decisions are made. The Service is directed to re-evaluate
its workplans in order to meet these obligations in light of
the budget, and to request deadline extensions as necessary.
The Committee notes that there is substantial disagreement
regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the science
underpinning the Service's proposal to list the northern long-
eared bat. The Service made a prudent decision in June 2014 to
extend a final listing decision for 6 months. If, at the end of
the 6-month extension, the Service makes a final decision to
list the species, the Committee encourages the Service to make
every effort to consider including a special rule that
addresses threats to the species while allowing activities that
minimally affect the species to continue.
Consultation and HCPs.--The Committee recommends
$62,550,000 for ESA consultations and habitat conservation
planning (HCP) activities, $1,000,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and incomparable to the budget request
because of the proposed budget restructuring. The increase
above the enacted level is for additional FTE employees to work
on HCPs. The Committee recognizes the important role of HCPs in
both recovery of species and in providing economic certainty
and growth to municipalities affected by listed species, and
encourages the Service to place a priority on working with
partners making good faith efforts to develop and implement
responsible HCPs.
Recovery.--The Committee recommends $77,916,000 for
recovery, $1,000,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and incomparable to the budget request because of the proposed
budget restructuring. The Committee recommends that the
increase above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level be used to
increase the Service's contribution to long-standing, multi-
partner recovery programs, such as for northern aplomado
falcons and California condors, for which non-Federal partners
have been shouldering the large majority of the costs to
prevent extinction.
The Committee is concerned that the Service has failed to
act in a timely fashion to delist the valley elderberry
longhorn beetle, which the Service first recommended for
delisting in 2006. The Service failed to act on its own
recommendation until 2010 when it received a petition to do so
that triggered deadlines required by the ESA. The Service
issued a proposed rule to delist in 2012 but to date has not
issued a final rule. The Committee has been made aware that the
reason for the delay in this case is at least partly
attributable to a scientific peer review suggesting that
further studies are needed. Seemingly unnecessary further
studies, along with allegations of a conflict of interest with
one of the peer reviewers, are cause for concern. Therefore,
the Committee has included a general provision in Title I of
the bill to delay for at least one year any decision by the
Service to either withdraw the proposed rule or to issue a
final rule, and to re-open the public comment period in the
interim. The social and economic costs of listing the valley
elderberry longhorn beetle under the ESA are well documented
and tragic. The Committee strongly supports its delisting as
has been the recommendation by the Service for the past eight
years.
The Committee believes that proposals to delist and
downlist species should be finalized within 12 months just as
they are for proposals to list. Similarly, the Committee
believes that listings come with an obligation to develop
recovery plans and evaluate the economic impacts of
implementing such plans within 18 months as is the policy but
not the practice. The Federal government is as obligated to
recover and delist species as it is to list them in the first
place. For this reason, the Committee has included a general
provision in Title I of the bill to require the Service to
develop such recovery plans and economic analyses for certain
amphibians which the Service has recently listed.
The Committee directs the Service to include in its next
Recovery Report to Congress an update on whether each species
is more or less numerous, or unknown, since the species was
listed, the recovery plan was finalized, or the latest 5-year
status review was completed, whichever is more recent.
The Committee encourages the Service to move forward with a
proposal to delist the gray wolf, because the Service has
established that the species is recovered, and because the
current situation creates unnecessary management challenges
along arbitrary geographic boundaries within States like
Oregon, where wolves are currently listed under the ESA on one
side of a highway, but delisted and under State management on
the other side of the highway.
In response to supportive testimony by diverse groups of
constituents, the Committee recommends $1,000,000 from within
funds to restore the wolf-livestock demonstration program, as
authorized by Public Law 111-11. The Committee urges the
Administration and interested parties to seek funding for this
program through the Department of Agriculture in future years.
The Committee has been made aware of the controversy
surrounding the proposed La Purisima Conservation Bank in
California, which would create an easement on private lands
which could then be used to mitigate the loss of endangered
species habitat on other lands. The Federal government's role
in the establishment of conservation banks on split estates
must not impact the private property rights of any surface or
subsurface owners without their consent or fair compensation.
The Committee directs the Service to publish in the Federal
Register advance notice of its intent to approve any future
phase of the La Purisima project involving a split estate, and
invite public comment on the proposed agreement, as stated in
the Service's May 2, 2003, policy on conservation banking.
Habitat Conservation.--The Committee rejects the budget
proposal to change Habitat Conservation from a subactivity to
an activity, as explained above. The Committee recommends
$50,941,000 for programs within this subactivity. The Partners
for Fish and Wildlife program has been moved to a new account,
as explained above. Coastal programs are funded at $13,684,000,
an increase of $500,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level to accelerate technical corrections and updates of
coastal floodplain maps.
Migratory Bird Management.--The Committee recommends
$45,213,000 for migratory bird management, $1,255,000 below the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $1,709,000 below the budget
request. The Committee has been made aware that black vulture
predation on livestock is a problem, either due to a learned
behavior, an overabundance of black vultures, or both. The
Committee directs the Service to institute an electronic
application and reporting system for depredation permits, and
to process such applications as quickly as possible. The fiscal
year 2016 budget request should quantify average permit
processing times and set a goal to minimize such times. The
fiscal year 2016 budget request should also include an estimate
of costs, FTE, and a timeline to develop and test an
appropriate survey protocol to assess black vulture
distribution and population size, and to determine whether and
where the species may be overabundant.
Law Enforcement.--The Committee recommends $66,737,000 for
law enforcement, $2,462,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and equal to the budget request. The recommendation
includes program increases of $1,247,000 to strengthen the only
wildlife forensics laboratory in the nation, as requested, and
$747,000 for three additional agents in the Service's Special
Investigations Unit, in order to combat wildlife trafficking.
Funding is provided to enforce Lacey Act illegal logging
violations.
International Affairs.--The Committee recommends
$14,599,000 for international affairs, $1,093,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
The Committee remains concerned about the severity of poaching
in Africa, particularly with respect to elephant ivory and
rhinoceros horn, and the destabilizing effect it has on
regional security, including by providing a significant source
of financing for armed groups with links to transnational
organized crime and terrorism. The Committee notes the negative
consequences to U.S. interests in regional security,
development, and biodiversity conservation. The Committee
supports the Service's role in the following elements of the
National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking: (1) site-
based law enforcement protection in Africa for the most at-risk
populations of forest and savannah elephants; (2) development
and implementation of regional wildlife law enforcement
networks in Africa and Asia; and (3) training local park guards
and other wildlife law enforcement officers. These programs
should be carried out in coordination with other U.S. agencies
including Department of State and USAID, local governments and
international conservation partners. The Committee encourages
the Secretary to work with the intelligence community to
develop an appropriate framework for the timely sharing of
information and intelligence that would enable FWS to more
effectively investigate and make arrests on wildlife
trafficking crimes.
The Committee received testimony from a diverse array of
concerned citizens and organizations regarding the Service's
unilateral action to ban the trade and transport of products
containing ivory that have legally been in the United States
for years and in some cases generations, including expensive
family heirlooms and rare musical instruments. Everyone
supports saving elephants, but the Service's regulatory actions
have gone too far by penalizing innocent U.S. citizens instead
of focusing on the heart of the problem overseas. Therefore the
Committee has included a general provision in Title I to
maintain the status quo legal domestic ivory trade and
transport policies.
The Committee is concerned that the Service appears to have
begun to implement a proposed rule regarding captive-bred
wildlife (76 Fed. Reg. 58455) before such rule has been
finalized, resulting in at least one instance of permitting
delays for the routine and lawful transport of captive bred,
``generic'' tigers. Until the rulemaking process has been
completed and a final rule has been published, the Committee
reminds the Service that all permits should be processed in
accordance with existing regulations and past precedents so
that permitees can reasonably plan and operate.
Science.--The Committee recommends $5,096,000 for science,
$12,139,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$5,096,000 above the budget request. No funds are provided in
the proposed new science subactivity, a decrease of $31,634,000
below the budget request.
The Committee recognizes that scientific support from the
U.S. Geological Survey has been insufficient in meeting the
Service's needs, and supports re-building the Service's
capacity for scientific research and application. However, the
Service appears to be struggling with how to go about building
its capacity. The fiscal year 2015 budget requests a third
location in the budget for science in as many years. The
Service has added a layer of science administrators nationwide,
which seems unnecessary. The Committee notes that the National
Fish Hatchery System has been a national leader in the science
of fish health and fish culture for decades under the existing
fisheries program leadership structure. The Committee
encourages the Service to reconsider its approach and to
propose future increases for science within the budgets of
existing programs that need the science, such as fisheries,
refuges, migratory birds, and endangered species, if such
science is a priority for the programs.
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.--No funds are provided
for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives due to higher
priorities elsewhere in the Service's budget.
PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE
It is estimated that 73 percent of the nation's land is
privately owned and that the majority of the nation's fish and
wildlife species occur on those lands. Thus the Fish and
Wildlife Service cannot be successful in its mission without
voluntary, non-regulatory partnerships with private landowners.
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program began in 1987 and
was codified by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act in 2006.
Appropriation enacted, 2014*.......................... $51,776,000
Budget estimate, 2015*................................ 52,066,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 52,066,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +290,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
*Funding for this program was in the Resource Management account.
The Committee recommends $52,066,000 for Partners for Fish
and Wildlife, $290,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and equal to the budget request. Whereas the budget request
included the program under the Resource Management account, the
Committee recommends moving the program to its own account in
order to prevent the use of funds for activities not authorized
by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act. The Committee
directs the program to adjust its regional funding allocations
as necessary so as to reflect the Sage Grouse Initiative as the
program's top priority. The Committee directs the Service to
seek reauthorization of the program.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM
The National Wildlife Refuge System comprises approximately
150 million acres of land and waters, with refuges in all U.S.
States and Territories around the world. These lands and
waters, including 54 million acres within five Marine National
Monuments, provide habitat for thousands of species of wildlife
and plants, sanctuary for hundreds of threatened and endangered
species, and secure spawning areas for economically and
recreationally important native fish. The 562 refuges range
from a half-acre to 19.6 million acres in size. The Refuge
System also encompasses 4.2 million acres managed under
easement, agreement, or lease, including waterfowl production
areas in 209 counties within 38 wetland management districts
and 50 wildlife coordination areas. Over 45 million people
visit the Refuge System annually.
Appropriation enacted, 2014*.......................... $472,202,000
Budget estimate, 2015*................................ 476,400,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 476,865,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +4,663,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +465,000
*Funding for this program was in the Resource Management account.
The Committee recommends $476,865,000 for the National
Wildlife Refuge System, $4,663,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $465,000 above the budget request. The amount
above the budget request is to restore the proposed transfer of
planning funds to the Land Acquisition account. Whereas the
budget request included funding for the Refuge System under the
Resource Management account, the Committee recommends moving
the Refuge System to its own account in order to prevent the
use of funds for activities not authorized by the National
Wildlife Refuge Administration Act and related mandates. A
detailed table of funding recommendations below the account
level is provided at the end of this report. The Committee
recommendation includes further details below.
The bill includes a provision limiting the establishment or
boundary expansion of any refuge unless expressly authorized by
Congress. The Service is unique in its authority to
administratively establish a refuge, expand its boundaries, and
to purchase lands, water rights, and mineral rights therein,
without any further action from Congress. The Committee
recognizes that such authority originated with the need to act
quickly to save species from certain extinction, and urges
Congress to act quickly (as it has before) if similar
circumstances arise. In the meantime, the Service's use of its
unilateral authority has become a problem for two reasons:
(1) New refuges and an expanded Federal estate place an
additional funding burden on a Refuge System already struggling
to keep up with its responsibilities. According to its closest
partners, $900 million is needed to fully fund the Refuge
System, and without increases in operations and maintenance,
the Refuge System cannot fulfill its obligation to the American
public, wildlife, and 46.5 million annual visitors. Further,
the Service reports that the Refuge System has a $1.7 billion
maintenance backlog. The Committee will continue to do what it
can to be supportive of the Refuge System, but higher
bipartisan funding priorities in this bill prevent the
Committee from keeping pace with the additional costs of
operating and maintaining new and expanded refuges.
(2) The Committee has been made aware of efforts by the
Service to purchase lands and water rights without due
consultation and cooperation with State and local officials.
Federal lands are exempt from local taxes, but the Service
continually proposes to zero out payments in lieu of taxes
through the National Wildlife Refuge Fund. Economic studies
cited by the Service to justify its actions are misleading
because they do not account for the variability of impacts at
local levels. Federal purchase of water rights similarly denies
a fundamental resource to State and local officials and the
people they are elected to govern. The Federal government must
be more sensitive to State and local needs, particularly in
light of a rapidly changing climate and the uncertainty it
brings.
FISH AND AQUATIC CONSERVATION
Since 1871, the Fisheries program of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service has been a leader in managing species,
conserving habitat, and sustaining the biological health of
America's aquatic resources. Its role began as the U.S. Fish
Commission on Fish and Fisheries 140 years ago with a singular
focus on stock assessment and propagation for subsistence and
recreational purposes. Over time, it has taken on the added
focus of holistically and collaboratively managing populations
of fish and other aquatic species, conserving and restoring
habitat, managing for threats of invasive species, and
ultimately sustaining the biological health of America's
aquatic resources. These resources are among the world's
richest in abundance and diversity and provide scientific,
aesthetic, recreational, commercial, subsistence, cultural,
social, and economic benefits to Americans. Approximately 700
employees in the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program are
located nationwide in 154 facilities, including 72 National
Fish Hatcheries and one historic fish hatchery, 65 Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Offices (including the Alaska
Conservation Genetics Laboratory), nine Fish Health Centers,
six Fish Technology Centers, and the Aquatic Animal Drug
Approval Partnership (AADAP) Program.
Appropriation enacted, 2014*.......................... $135,319,000
Budget estimate, 2015*................................ 138,919,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 147,916,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +12,597,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +8,997,000
*Funding for this program was in the Resource Management account.
The Committee recommends $147,916,000 for Fish and Aquatic
Conservation (herein ``Fisheries''), $12,597,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $8,997,000 above the budget
request. Whereas the budget request included funding for
Fisheries under the Resource Management account, the Committee
recommends moving Fisheries to its own account in response to
efforts by the Service since fiscal year 2012 to shift National
Fish Hatchery System funds away from mitigation and recreation,
and towards recovery and programs outside of Fisheries, despite
concerns from the States, other program partners, and the
Committee. A detailed table of funding recommendations below
the account level is provided at the end of this report. The
Committee recommendation includes further details below.
Program-wide.--The bill includes new language codifying the
fundamental activities of Fisheries already authorized by
various statutes and Executive Orders but without a unifying
``organic'' Act, and mandating that they continue in fiscal
year 2015. Those activities include: conserving fish, other
aquatic species, and their habitats at self-sustaining levels
and furthering the science therein; fulfilling the Federal
government's fishery mitigation responsibilities for Federal
water development projects; fulfilling Indian tribal trust
responsibilities; minimizing aquatic invasive species; and
promoting youth engagement, employment, and conservation
through demonstrated support for recreational fishing and other
public use and enjoyment of aquatic resources.
National Fish Hatchery System Operations.--The Committee
recommends $52,860,000 for operations, $6,332,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $4,243,000 above the budget
request. The increases are intended to enable Fisheries to meet
the mandates below.
The Service informed the Committee before its publication
that the March, 2013, National Fish Hatchery System Strategic
Hatchery and Workforce Planning Report would go out for
consultation. The Committee was disappointed to learn that
parts of the report are already being implemented before the
consultation has been completed, despite a budget increase in
fiscal year 2014 and despite strong concerns by the States. The
Committee's intent for fiscal year 2015 is to maintain the
status quo at all hatcheries and to keep all hatcheries in
proper working condition until such time as the Service has
properly and in good faith consulted with the States, Tribes,
the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, and other
key partners, and updated the Fisheries Program Strategic Plan.
To that end, the bill includes the following new provisions:
(1) Capping funding for Endangered Species Act activities
at fiscal year 2012 levels. This is to ensure that funds
appropriated in this account for recreation are not diverted to
recovery as has been the Service's stated intent.
(2) Allowing for additional funding for ESA activities to
be transferred from the Resource Management account where the
bulk of the ESA budget currently resides. The Assistant
Director for Ecological Services has lead responsibility for
ESA. If he needs the help of the Fisheries program in order to
meet high ESA priorities, he should have the flexibility to
transfer funds to Fisheries in order to carry out the work.
(3) Assigning the Secretary of the Interior with the lead
for annually determining the Federal government's hatchery
mitigation responsibilities. Where those responsibilities are
not clearly defined in statute, and where those
responsibilities fluctuate as part of the normal fisheries
management process, the Secretary should consult with States,
Tribes, and other Federal cabinet agencies.
(4) Requiring the Secretary to annually fulfill those
hatchery mitigation responsibilities and report to Congress on
any responsibilities not fulfilled. Only the Secretary of the
Interior, with responsibility for the national fish hatchery
system and with a history of hatchery propagation for
recreational fishing dating back 140 years, is equipped to meet
those responsibilities.
(5) Requiring those Federal agencies responsible for
Federal water development projects to share up to 100 but not
less than 50 percent of the costs to fulfill the Federal
government's hatchery mitigation responsibilities. The intent
is to ensure that mitigation costs are factored up front into
the budgets of future water development projects. The Service
is directed to include a full estimate of the costs, along with
a cross-cut table of amounts requested, by agency, in its
annual budget request to Congress.
(6) Preventing the Service from terminating any current
production programs, or repurposing, downsizing, or closing any
hatcheries. The intent is to maintain the status quo until the
program partners have been fully consulted and a strategic plan
has been published. Once completed, the Committee will revisit
this provision in future appropriations so that the Service, in
consultation with States and Tribes, has reasonable flexibility
to make normal adjustments.
(7) Requiring the Service to publish an annual hatchery
operations and maintenance plan, by facility, so that annual
budgets and production targets are transparent to program
partners and Congress.
Mass Marking.--The Committee recommendation continues a
general provision in Title I requiring the mass marking of
salmonids. The Committee recognizes the differences of opinion
about the policy among affected parties. The Committee
therefore requests that the Government Accountability Office
report to the Congress on the effect of the mass marking policy
on the recovery of threatened and endangered salmonids.
Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership.--The Committee
recommends not less than $237,000 for the Aquatic Animal Drug
Approval Partnership, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and the budget request.
Habitat Assessment and Restoration.--The Committee
recommendation includes $12,748,000 for the National Fish
Passage Program, as requested. The Committee directs the
Service to determine whether unintentional barriers to fish
passage are being installed faster than this and other programs
like it are removing them, and to determine whether program
funding is more effective if focused on prevention instead of
restoration.
Aquatic Invasive Species.--The Committee recommends an
increase of $4,400,000 as requested to fight the spread of
Asian carp. The Committee is concerned about the rapid spread
of several invasive species of Asian carp into the Upper
Mississippi River and Ohio River basins and tributaries, which
are threatening ecosystems and billions of dollars of economic
activity connected to outdoor recreation in States throughout
the Midwest. While the Committee continues to support Federal
efforts focused on preventing the spread of Asian carp into the
Great Lakes, there is growing recognition of the threat these
invasive species pose to other ecosystems in the Upper
Mississippi and Ohio River basins. The Committee directs the
Service, in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers,
National Park Service, and U.S. Geological Survey, to lead a
multi-agency effort to slow the spread of Asian carp in the
Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins and tributaries
by providing high-level technical assistance, coordination,
best practices, and support to State and local government
strategies to slow, and eventually eliminate, the threat posed
by Asian carp. To the maximum extent practicable, the multi-
agency effort shall apply lessons learned and best practices
developed under the Asian Carp Control Strategic Framework to
efforts in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins.
The Committee remains concerned about the rapid spread of
quagga and zebra mussels in the West. As the Aquatic Nuisance
Species Task Force stated in its February 2010 Quagga-Zebra
Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters, ``Without increased
and immediate action, quagga and zebra mussels will cause
irreparable ecological damage to western waters and long-term
costs will be in the billions.'' The Committee therefore
recommends not less than $3 million to implement one or more of
the Highest Priority Actions identified in the Action Plan, and
directs the Service to transfer funds to other Federal member
agencies of the Task Force if necessary to implement these
Actions. These additional funds are intended to supplement
existing funds already budgeted by Task Force member agencies
for fiscal year 2015.
CONSTRUCTION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $15,722,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 15,687,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 14,305,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,417,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,382,000
The Committee recommends $14,305,000 for Construction,
$1,417,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$1,382,000 below the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report. No funding is provided for installation
of photovoltaic solar arrays. The goal of moving to self-
sufficient, renewable energy is laudable, but the Committee is
concerned that the Service's estimate of 32 years to recoup the
costs of the project exceeds the average length of the warranty
of photovoltaic solar arrays currently on the market, which is
25 years. Photovoltaic technology is advancing rapidly while
costs are coming down, and the Service is encouraged to request
future funding for such projects when they become more
economically viable. No funding is provided for demolition and
removal of buildings.
LAND ACQUISITION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $54,422,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 55,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 14,500,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -39,922,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -40,500,000
The Committee recommends $14,500,000 for Land Acquisition,
$39,922,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$40,500,000 below the budget request. The amounts recommended
by the Committee compared with the budget estimates by activity
are shown in the table at the end of this report.
In a time when budgetary constraints allow for only a
limited number of new land acquisition projects, the Committee
is encouraged by programs that leverage public/private
partnerships for land conservation like the Highlands
Conservation Act, which has a record of more than a 2 to 1
ratio in non-Federal matching funds. Therefore, the Committee
recommendation includes $3,500,000 for the Highlands
Conservation Act Grants and directs the Fish and Wildlife
Service to work with the Highlands States regarding priority
projects for fiscal year 2015.
The Committee understands that the Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) is developing a proposal to place certain private
rangeland in central California into permanent Federal
conservation easements without sufficient stakeholder
involvement in the process. The Committee is concerned that
this program may infringe on private property rights by denying
landowners the ability to use, develop or manage their
property; unnecessarily increase regulatory burdens and
restrictions on private land management; and deny local
governments' ability to develop and zone land use and planning
activities. Therefore, the Committee has included bill language
prohibiting the use of funds for issuing a final environmental
assessment, an environmental impact statement, or a categorical
exclusion for the California Foothills Legacy Area easement
program. The Committee directs the FWS to work with affected
stakeholders to address their concerns.
COOPERATIVE ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION FUND
The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
provides grants to States and territories for endangered
species recovery actions on non-Federal lands and provides
funds for non-Federal land acquisition to facilitate habitat
protection.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $50,095,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 50,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 49,227,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -868,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -773,000
The Committee recommends $49,227,000 for the Cooperative
Endangered Species Conservation Fund, $868,000 below the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $773,000 below the budget request.
A detailed table of funding recommendations below the account
level is provided at the end of this report.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FUND
The National Wildlife Refuge Fund makes payments in lieu of
taxes based on their fair market value to counties in which
Service lands are located. Payments to counties in all 50
States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands are estimated to be $68,990,000 in fiscal year
2015, with $63,202,000 derived from this appropriation and
$5,788,000 from the net refuge receipts estimated to be
collected in fiscal year 2014.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $13,228,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 0
Recommended, 2015..................................... 38,073,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +24,845,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +38,073,000
The Committee recommends $38,073,000 for the National
Wildlife Refuge Fund, $24,845,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $38,073,000 above the budget request. The
Committee notes the inconsistency with which the Administration
proposes full funding for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (as is
provided elsewhere in this bill) and proposes zero funding for
the National Wildlife Refuge Fund. Both programs are designed
to accomplish the same goal, albeit for different but similar
lands, and should therefore be treated similarly.
NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION FUND
The North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989
provided for grants to carry out wetlands conservation projects
in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the benefit of
wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wildlife.
Additional program funding comes from fines, penalties, and
forfeitures collected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of
1918; from Federal fuel excise taxes on small gasoline engines,
as directed by amendments to the Federal Aid in Sport Fish
Restoration Act of 1950, to benefit coastal ecosystem projects;
and from interest accrued on the fund established under the
Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937. Authorization
of appropriations expired in fiscal year 2012.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $34,145,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 34,145,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 34,145,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $34,145,000 for the North American
Wetlands Conservation Fund, equal to the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and the budget request.
NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000
authorized grants for the conservation of neotropical migratory
birds in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean,
with 75 percent of the amounts available to be expended on
projects outside the United States. Authorization of
appropriations expired in fiscal year 2010.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,660,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 3,660,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 3,660,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $3,660,000 for neotropical
migratory bird conservation, equal to the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and the budget request.
MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUND
The Multinational Species Conservation Fund provides
technical support and cost-sharing grant assistance to
countries to strengthen anti-poaching activities; builds
community support for conservation near the species' habitats;
conducts surveys, monitoring, and applied research; and
provides infrastructure and field equipment necessary to
conserve habitats. These funds help to leverage work with
partners and other collaborators to conserve and protect
African and Asian elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, great apes
and marine turtles and their habitats. Authorizations of
appropriations for the programs within this Fund have all
expired.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $9,061,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 9,061,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 10,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +939,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +939,000
The Committee recommends $10,000,000 for the Multinational
Species Conservation Fund, $939,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report. The Committee recognizes that
international wildlife trafficking has national security
implications and therefore supports the Service's interagency
and international cooperative efforts. The Committee further
urges the Service and other interested parties to seek to
reauthorize these programs.
STATE AND TRIBAL WILDLIFE GRANTS
The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program provides
Federal grant funds to the States, the District of Columbia,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories, and Tribes,
to develop and implement programs for the benefit of fish and
wildlife that are not under Federal jurisdiction. The intent is
to avoid the costly and time-consuming process entered into
through the Endangered Species Act or other regulatory actions.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $58,695,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 50,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 58,695,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +8,695,000
The Committee recommends $58,695,000 for State and Tribal
Wildlife Grants, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $8,695,000 above the budget request. Tribal competitive
grants are funded at $5,000,000, an increase of $1,000,000
above the budget request. State formula grants are funded at
$41,000,000 as requested. State competitive grants are funded
at $12,695,000, an increase of $7,695,000 above the budget
request.
The Committee recommendation is in response to an increase
in the Service's Endangered Species Act listing activities as a
consequence of settlement agreements entered into by the
Service in 2011, many of which are likely to impair the
nation's ability to become energy independent. The Committee's
intent with the State competitive grants is to have multiple
States working together and with the Service to make a
concerted push where it is reasonably possible to conserve
species named in the settlement agreements so that listing
becomes unnecessary. The Service is expected to consult with
the States to determine the highest priorities, to award grants
accordingly, and to communicate successes. States are
encouraged to do the same with the formula grants.
LANDOWNER INCENTIVE PROGRAM
RESCISSION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $0
Budget estimate, 2015................................. -1,327,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... -2,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -2,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -673,000
The Committee recommends a rescission of $2,000,000 from
recovered funds and unobligated balances within the Landowner
Incentive Program account, $2,000,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $673,000 below the budget request.
PRIVATE STEWARDSHIP GRANTS
RESCISSION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $0
Budget estimate, 2015................................. -24,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... -24,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -24,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends a rescission of $24,000 from
recovered funds and unobligated balances within the Private
Stewardship Grants account, $24,000 below the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and equal to the budget request.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
The mission of the National Park Service (Service) is to
preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and
values of the national park system for the enjoyment,
education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
Established in 1916, the National Park Service has stewardship
responsibilities for the protection and preservation of the
heritage resources of the national park system. The system,
consisting of 401 separate and distinct units, is recognized
globally as a leader in park management and resource
preservation. The national park system represents much of the
finest the Nation has to offer in terms of scenery, historical
and archeological relics, and cultural heritage. Through its
varied sites, the National Park Service attempts to explain
America's history, interpret its culture, preserve examples of
its natural ecosystems, and provide recreational and
educational opportunities for U.S. citizens and visitors from
all over the world. In addition, the National Park Service
provides support to tribal, local, and State governments to
preserve culturally significant, ecologically important, and
public recreational lands.
The National Park Service will be 100 years old in 2016,
and the Service has embarked on a ten-year effort to enhance
the national parks leading up to this historic celebration. The
Committee supports this effort leading to a second century of
conservation, environmental stewardship and recreation
benefiting millions of visitors from throughout the world.
OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,236,753,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,283,852,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,268,610,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +31,857,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -15,242,000
The Committee recommends $2,268,610,000 for Operation of
the National Park System (ONPS), $31,857,000 above the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $15,242,000 below the budget
request. The amounts recommended by the Committee compared with
the budget estimates by activity are shown in the table at the
end of this report.
Additional Guidance.--The following additional direction
and guidance is provided with respect to funding provided
within this account:
Centennial of the National Park Service.--The Centennial of
the National Park Service marks the beginning of a second
century of stewardship, education, conservation, and recreation
involving some of America's most treasured spaces. The
Committee recognizes the importance of this historic national
celebration and is committed to its success. Accordingly, the
Committee is providing $30 million, as requested, within the
National Park Service Operations account to support the
Centennial Initiative and related efforts to address the
Service's deferred maintenance backlog. The Committee
understands that these funds will support enhanced visitor
services in the areas of interpretation and education, law
enforcement and protection, and facility operations; expand
opportunities for managing and coordinating volunteers in
parks; provide meaningful youth service and training
opportunities to educate and train the next generation of Park
Service leaders; and support repair and rehabilitation projects
on high priority park assets across the entire system.
Recognizing the scope of this effort, specifically in terms
of funding provided and the complexity of the numerous efforts
being undertaken, the Committee directs the Service to provide
a report, not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act,
detailing the distribution of funds supporting the Centennial
Initiative and the anticipated return on investment on this
substantial Federal investment.
Lastly, the Committee commends the Service for its planned
public engagement campaign to highlight the Centennial and many
of the nation's prized park units with the American public. The
Committee notes that this marketing effort will be funded in
collaboration with the National Park Foundation, the Service's
congressionally chartered nonprofit partner, and other non-
Federal partners.
Aquatic Invasive Species.--The Committee remains concerned
about the rapid spread of quagga and zebra mussels in the West.
The Committee directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop
and continue to update, using the best available science
minimum protocols and training techniques for Federal, State,
local, and private entities, a consistent standard of
inspection and decontamination of recreational watercraft and
equipment, as prescribed in the February 2010 Quagga/Zebra
Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters.
Further, the Committee directs the National Park Service to
provide no less than $2,000,000 for quagga, and zebra mussel
containment, prevention, and enforcement and prioritize the
decontamination of watercraft and equipment leaving the
watersheds of contaminated bodies, including Lake Powell and
Lake Mead. Lastly, the Committee directs the Service to report
back, no later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, on
steps taken to address this pervasive threat to western
watersheds.
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats.--The Committee is
concerned over the effects white-nose syndrome is having on the
important roles bats perform in ecological functions in parks
and supports the Service's efforts to address the disease.
Specifically, the Committee supports measures detailed in the
budget request to control the spread of the disease; protect
and better inventory NPS bat and cave resources; expand
research and partnerships for research on WNS management;
monitor NPS resources for WNS; conduct public education about
WNS; and standardize visitor WNS screening procedures across
park units.
Park Partnerships.--Over the past several years and most
recently in its explanatory statement accompanying the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, the Committee has
expressed its support for ongoing public-private partnerships
and strongly encouraged the Service to expand their use. These
partnerships frequently leverage Federal dollars many times
over and add value to our national parks by bringing wide-
ranging perspectives to the efficient management of park
resources. The Committee believes such partnerships are
fundamental to the long-term fiscal and administrative health
of the Service.
Further, the Committee believes there is merit in the
Service partnering with qualified entities to cooperatively
finance and manage improvements to park facilities and
programs, including assisting in the planning and construction
of facilities, repairing and rehabilitating facilities and
landscapes, and providing educational and interpretive
programs. The Committee commends the Service for efforts thus
far made to expand partnerships but believes more can be done.
The Department and the Service are therefore strongly
encouraged to reassess current policies in order to encourage
the greater use of partnerships that have historically proven
beneficial to national parks and partners.
Screening technology.--The Committee encourages the
National Park Police to review and procure the latest
technological advancements in screening equipment for high-risk
soft targets by utilizing the SAFETY Act and other procurement
methods beyond the Transportation Safety Laboratory as
additional tools for reviewing designated technologies. The
goal of the SAFETY Act is to encourage the development and
deployment of effective anti-terrorism products and services.
Anacostia River.--The Committee is aware of the potential
presence of toxics such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
(PAHs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and other substances
in the bottom sediments of the Anacostia River. These chemicals
are detrimental to aquatic life and are possible human
carcinogens. As the National Park Service has significant land
interests adjacent to the Anacostia River, the Committee
encourages the Service to coordinate work with the District of
Columbia's Department of the Environment and its ongoing
remedial investigation to characterize the nature and extent of
toxics in the sediment, and its planned feasibility study to
examine best remediation options.
Historic properties.--The Committee supports innovative
partnerships that exist between the Service and its friends
groups to raise private funds to restore and open closed
historic properties. The Committee urges the Service to work
with friends groups to expand this practice wherever
practicable and report back to the Committee on a timely basis
on its progress and any impediments to achieving successful
outcomes.
Historic Leases.--The Committee believes that historic
leases provide a cost-effective, innovative opportunity to
attract private capital and expertise to the challenges of
preserving park resources. The Committee applauds the efforts
of the Service and private partners to successfully implement
such leases, and encourages the broader use of this important
authority to mitigate the maintenance backlog of historic
structures.
Sewall-Belmont House and Museum.--The Sewall-Belmont House
and Museum is an affiliated site of the National Park System
and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
Service is presently conducting a study to determine if this
historic landmark merits inclusion in the park system as a
standalone unit. The Committee urges the timely completion of
the study and directs the Service to share its findings with
the Committee. Further, the Committee urges the Service to
engage public and private supporters of the Sewall-Belmont
House and Museum to develop a long-term sustainability
strategy.
U.S. Capitol Concerts.--The Committee continues its
longstanding support for funding for the National Capitol Area
Performing Arts Program and directs the Service to maintain
funding for the summer concert series staged on the U.S.
Capitol grounds at the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.
National Mall Restoration.--The National Mall is the most
visited national park in the nation with 25 million annual
visitors. The Committee continues to support the public-private
partnership relating to the restoration of the National Mall.
Integral to this effort is the management and operation of
concessions and visitor services. Accordingly, the Committee
directs the Service to prepare and submit, within 90 days of
enactment of this Act, a multi-year plan for the management and
operation of concessions within the National Mall and Memorial
Parks.
Everglades Restoration.--The Committee notes the
substantial progress made toward restoration of the Everglades
ecosystem and continues to support this multi-year effort to
preserve one of the great ecological treasures of the United
States. The Department is directed to work with the Miccosukee
Tribe of Indians of Florida to examine the water quality of the
L-28 canal system. Further, the Committee urges the Service to
work in partnership with the Tribe to examine the potential
benefits of clearing vegetation downstream of the existing
culverts under the Tamiami Trail.
St. Augustine Commemoration.--The Committee commends the
Department of the Interior for appointing the Federal
Commission to commemorate the 450th anniversary of St.
Augustine (FL). St. Augustine has been the home to many of
America's ``firsts'' including the first permanent European
settlement, the first freed African-American settlement, and
the beginning of both the African-American experience and the
Latino-American experience in the New World. The Committee
commends the partnership between the National Park Service and
the National Park Foundation that has resulted in $100,000
being provided to support the work of the Commission. The
Committee urges the Service to work with the Commission to
identify additional funds that can be leveraged in support of
this important endeavor.
Chief Standing Bear Trail Study.--The Committee urges the
Service to study the establishment and designation of a
nationally recognized Chief Standing Bear National Historic
Trail spanning the Great Plains from Nebraska to Oklahoma and
formally marking the path Chief Standing Bear traveled to bury
his son in his tribal homeland.
Commemorating the Lincoln Assassination.--During 2015, the
Service and other partners will honor the life and legacy of
Abraham Lincoln and commemorate 150 years since his
assassination at Ford's Theatre. Programming is being developed
to commemorate the tragic events and highlight the lasting
legacy of Lincoln. A special exhibition will reunite artifacts
from the night of the assassination for the first time in 150
years. An around-the-clock vigil and special programming will
occur on April 14 and 15, 2015 at Ford's Theatre to mark
Lincoln's assassination, one of the pivotal moments in American
history. The Committee directs the Service to support this
initiative within available funds and encourages the use of
non-Federal funds from participating partners to support this
effort.
U.S. Park Police aviation support.--The Committee
understands the importance of the Washington, DC area U.S. Park
Police aviation unit which supports law enforcement and park
operations in the national capitol area. It has come to the
Committee's attention that there may be a need to replace an
aging helicopter and requests that U.S. Park Police provide,
not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, a report on
progress toward replacing this helicopter. Further, the
Committee asks the U.S. Park Police to examine historical use
of its existing aging helicopter to ensure that the suggested
replacement model is commensurate with proven need.
U.S. Park Police budget presentation.--The Committee
commends the Service for initiating changes to its annual
budget presentation to align the U.S. Park Police budget with
the park areas it supports. The Committee urges the Service to
initiate this transition in the execution of the fiscal year
2015 budget and expects future budget justifications to reflect
these changes.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways.--The Committee understands
that the Service is in the process of updating the Draft
General Management Plan for the Ozark National Scenic
Riverways. The Committee believes it is critical for the
Service and the Department to take into account the many
genuine concerns raised by Federal, State, and local officials,
including local communities and businesses, prior to
finalizing, implementing, or enacting the new Draft General
Management Plan. The Committee strongly urges the Service to
develop a framework that maintains public access and reiterates
its strong objection to any effort to administratively declare
wilderness areas absent a congressional wilderness designation.
The Committee directs the Service to work collaboratively with
affected parties to ensure that any Draft Management Plan for
the Ozark National Scenic Riverways addresses the legitimate
concerns of affected stakeholders including, but not limited
to, local communities and businesses.
National Park Service Diversity.--The Committee recognizes
the importance of diversity within the professional staff of
the National Park Service and encourages efforts to diversify
the Service's workforce. Further, the Committee encourages the
Service to, within existing funds, emphasize communication and
outreach strategy to underserved communities to alert them of
cultural and historic programs recognizing and celebrating
diversity. Lastly, the Committee encourages the Service to
promote programs that will increase diversity amongst park
service visitors.
NPS-administered Parkways.--The National Park Service is
directed to prepare and submit to the Committee a report on
traffic safety involving NPS-administered parkways. The report
shall include recommendations on improving safety through
enhanced traffic separation barriers and other means.
America's First Frontier.--The Committee urges the Service
to advance interpretive efforts at existing National Park
Service sites and in collaboration with other Federal, State,
and local agencies to detail the start of westward expansion
through the Northwest Territory as America's First Frontier.
Bill Language.--The Committee has, since 2006, included
bill language authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire or lease property to facilitate the transportation of
visitors to and from Ellis, Governors, and Liberty Islands, NY
and NJ. The language was necessitated by the need to establish
a screening process for visitors to the Statue of Liberty in
the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. While the
location of future, permanent screening facilities for the
ferry operation to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is
now uncertain, prior-year bill language is retained as the
Service reviews the security risks of alternative sites before
making final decisions on the future location of permanent
security screening facilities.
NATIONAL RECREATION AND PRESERVATION
The National Recreation and Preservation account provides
for outdoor recreation planning, preservation of cultural and
national heritage resources, technical assistance to Federal,
State and local agencies, and administration of Historic
Preservation Fund grants.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $60,795,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 51,998,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 60,695,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -100,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +8,697,000
The Committee recommends $60,695,000 for National
Recreation and Preservation, $100,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $8,697,000 above the budget request. The
amounts recommended by the Committee compared with the budget
estimates by activity are shown in the table at the end of this
report.
Additional Guidance.--The following additional direction
and guidance is provided with respect to funding provided
within this account:
Heritage Partnership Program (HPP).--The Committee
recommends $18,289,000 for the Heritage Partnership Program
(HPP), equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. These funds
support grants to local non-profit groups in support of
historical and cultural recognition, preservation and tourism
activities.
Congress has in recent years expanded from 27 to 49 the
number of authorized heritage partnerships, creating additional
pressure on available grant funding. The National Park Service,
as the administrator of the program, has developed a new
funding strategy that ensures newer areas receive enough
federal funding to establish themselves to a level that may
eventually become self-sustaining. Under this approach, older,
more established, areas will continue to receive funds, but at
a level that recognizes the decades of significant Federal
financial support these areas have received. Heritage Areas
were never intended to receive Federal funding in perpetuity,
yet the Committee notes they continue to depend on annual
appropriations.
The Committee has in the recent past provided direction for
the development of self-sufficiency plans, and the Committee
fully expects pressure on HPP funding to increase in future
years. Accordingly, the Committee directs that participating
heritage areas move expeditiously to develop plans for long-
term self-sustainability. The Committee supports the Service's
efforts to allocate funding in a manner that moves all 49 areas
towards self-sustainability.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Grants.--The Committee supports the budget request for the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Grant
Program.
Japanese American Confinement Site Grants.--The Committee
supports the budget request for the Japanese American
Confinement Site Grant Program which leverages proportional
funding through partnerships with local preservation groups to
preserve Japanese American World War II confinement sites.
American Battlefield Protection Program Assistance
Grants.--The Committee supports the budget request for the
American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) which assists in
the preservation and protection of America's battlefields
through site identification, documentation, planning,
interpretation, and educational efforts.
Bill language.--The Committee has included within Title IV
General Provisions bill language extending by one year the
American Battlefield Protection Program.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND
The Historic Preservation Fund supports the State historic
preservation offices to perform a variety of functions. These
include State management and administration of existing grant
obligations; review and advice on Federal projects and actions;
determinations and nominations to the National Register; Tax
Act certifications; and technical preservation services. The
States also review properties to develop data for planning use.
Funding in this account also supports direct grants to
qualifying organizations for individual preservation projects
and for activities in support of heritage tourism and local
historic preservation.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $56,410,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 56,410,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 56,410,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $56,410,000 for historic
preservation, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
the budget request.
Additional Guidance.--The following guidance is provided
with respect to funding provided within this account:
State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices.--The bill
provides $47,425,000 for State Historic Preservation Offices,
of which $500,000 is for grants to underserved communities. The
bill also provides $8,985,000 for Tribal Historic Preservation
Offices.
CONSTRUCTION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $137,461,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 138,339,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 138,265,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +804,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -74,000
The Committee recommends $138,265,000 for Construction,
$804,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $74,000
below the budget request.
Tamiami Trail project.--The Committee was pleased to see
the Governor of Florida pledge $90 million to support the
completion of the Tamiami Trail 2.6 mile bridge segment. The
Committee notes that the Administration has demonstrated its
support in the reauthorization of the Highway bill for the
Tamiami trail and other nationally significant federal
transportation projects. The Committee also notes that the
National Park Service has pledged in its fiscal year 2015
budget, a matching of $30 million per year for three years,
from its non-appropriated Federal Lands Transportation Program
starting in fiscal year 2015 to cover 50 percent of the cost of
contract payments due.
The Committee understands that the Service recently
released a draft boundary adjustment study of the Ocmulgee
National Monument area, that the preferred alternative of this
draft recommends additional protections for the important
prehistoric settlements that lie adjacent to the existing
National Monument, and that the Service is currently reviewing
public comments on the draft for possible incorporation into
the final study. The Committee looks forward to receiving the
recommendations of the Service once the study is finalized.
Bill Language.--The Committee has included bill language
providing that a single procurement may be issued which
includes the full scope of the project for any project
initially funded in fiscal year 2015 with a future phase
indicated in the NPS five-year Line Item Construction program.
The solicitation and contract in such procurement shall be
subject to availability of funds. Executing a single contract
has the potential to increase economies of scale and reduce
overall costs.
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND
RESCISSION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... -$28,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. -30,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... -28,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 2,000,000
The Committee recommends the rescission of the annual
contract authority provided by 16 U.S.C. 460l-10a. This
authority has not been used in years and there are no plans to
use it in fiscal year 2015. The Committee does not agree with
the Administration's proposal to permanently cancel the
authority.
LAND ACQUISITION AND STATE ASSISTANCE
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $98,100,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 104,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 67,486,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -30,614,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -36,514,000
The Committee recommends $67,486,000 for Land Acquisition
and State Assistance, $30,614,000 below the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $36,514,000 below the budget request. In
addition to the traditional State Conservation Grants, the
Committee continues funding for the competitive grant program
at the fiscal year 2014 enacted level of $3,000,000. The
amounts recommended by the Committee compared with the budget
estimates by activity are shown in the table at the end of this
report.
American Battlefield Protection Program.--Given the
significance of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the
Committee recognizes the importance of the American Battlefield
Protection Program which has provided land acquisition grant
funding to protect historically significant battlefields
outside of current NPS boundaries. Since fiscal year 1999, more
than 19,000 acres of the most historically significant sites
have been preserved from development. The Committee is
encouraged by efforts of key authorizing committees to modify
and extend the authorization of this important program.
Accordingly, while these efforts continue, the Committee has
included bill language extending by one year the authorization
for American Battlefield Protection Program grants.
CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $0
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 10,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 10,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +10,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee has provided $10,000,000 for the Centennial
Challenge matching grant program, a key component of the
Service's Centennial Initiative. The Committee understands that
funds will be matched on at least a 1:1 basis and administered
under existing Service partnership authorities. Funds provided
will be dedicated to supporting signature projects and programs
which provide critical enhancements for the parks beyond
amounts provided for basic operations. The Committee reminds
the Service that the amount provided for the Centennial
Challenge is intended to supplement funding for core
operations. The Committee expects the Service to fully fund
day-to-day operational costs of the parks through its core
operations accounts. The Committee directs that preference be
given to projects that have a clear and immediate visitor
benefit as well as a higher partner match. The Committee notes
that the Service has a long history of working with
philanthropic partners and fully supports the use of public-
private partnerships wherever feasible.
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
The United States Geological Survey (USGS, or ``Survey'')
was established by an Act of Congress on March 3, 1879, to
support the mission of the Department of the Interior and its
science requirements. The USGS also works in collaboration with
other Federal, State, and tribal cooperators to conduct
research and provide scientific data and information to
describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and
property from natural disasters; manage water, biological,
energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our
quality of life. The USGS is the Federal government's largest
earth-science research agency and the primary source of data on
the Nation's surface and ground water resources. Its programs
address increasingly complex societal issues such as the
development of alternative and unconventional energy resources,
management of critical ecosystems, understanding and adaptation
to climate change, and responses to natural and human-induced
hazards. For more than a century, the diversity of scientific
expertise and collaborative partnerships with universities,
research institutions, and major public and private
laboratories has enabled USGS to carry out large-scale, multi-
disciplinary investigations and provide impartial scientific
information to resource managers, planners, policymakers, and
the public.
SURVEYS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND RESEARCH
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $1,032,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 1,073,268,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 1,035,718,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +3,718,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -37,550,000
The Committee recommends $1,035,718,000 for Surveys,
Investigations, and Research, $3,718,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $37,550,000 below the budget request.
The Committee recommendation provides a small increase to the
Survey recognizing that its scientific work is vital to
managers at Federal, State, and local levels to inform public
policy decisions regarding human health, public safety, and
national security. The Committee commends the Survey for its
proposed programmatic reductions included in the request and
supports those reductions throughout the bill, unless otherwise
stated. Requested increases for fixed costs are not funded.
Ecosystems.--The Committee recommends $153,191,000 for
ecosystem programs, $380,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $8,834,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation includes the requested increases for the
California Bay Delta; the Chesapeake Bay; Wildfire Restoration
Ecology; the Everglades; Asian carp control; and pollinators.
Climate and Land Use Change.--The Committee recommends
$133,428,000 for climate and land use change programs,
$1,453,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$15,653,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation includes the requested increases for drought
impacts and adaptive management; the Chesapeake Bay; and
Landsat science products for climate and natural resources
assessments.
The Committee encourages the Department to make an effort
to diversify the workforce at Climate Science Centers through
outreach and recruitment programs at Historic Black Colleges
and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other
Minority Servicing Institutions.
Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health.--The Committee
recommends $91,552,000 for energy, minerals, and environmental
health, $37,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$7,521,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation includes the requested increases for the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
The Committee supports continuing the in-depth analysis of
the extent and sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals
impacting fish and wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
including the Potomac basin.
Natural Hazards.--The Committee recommends $133,186,000 for
natural hazards, $4,700,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $4,847,000 above the budget request. The Committee
recommendation provides full funding for earthquake, volcano,
and landslide hazards, including the requested increase for
induced seismicity. The Committee does not agree to the
proposed reduction for geodetic monitoring and active-source
seismic profiling.
The Committee recognizes that, of all natural hazards,
earthquakes pose the greatest threat for catastrophe as over 75
million people live in metropolitan areas with significant
earthquake risk. The Committee urges the Survey to continue its
investments and improvements to the Advanced National Seismic
System, research, and outreach efforts with State and
university partners. Furthermore, the Committee provides
$5,000,000 from within the funds provided for Earthquake
Hazards to transition the earthquake early warning
demonstration project into an operational capability on the
West Coast.
The Committee is concerned about the lack of knowledge and
onshore, real-time instrumentation available for the Cascadia
subduction zone. Scientific understanding of earthquakes and
the ocean environment will benefit from collecting offshore
data. Therefore, the Committee encourages the Survey to plan
for offshore monitoring of the Cascadia subduction zone in
future budget requests to ensure maximum effectiveness of the
earthquake early warning system.
The Committee understands that marine geohazards
(earthquake-induced tsunamis, landslide-induced tsunamis and
subsea volcano eruptions) pose a threat to citizens living on
the West Coast, as well as the submarine areas in U.S. Island
Territories that contain rich deposits of rare earth minerals
and other strategic minerals important to national defense. To
better understand marine hazard risk and resource availability,
the Committee encourages the Survey to work in partnership with
other Federal agencies and non-governmental organizations where
practicable to support research and assessments of marine
hazards and critical minerals on deepwater ships of exploration
with an active STEM Education program.
Water Resources.--The Committee recommends $209,267,000 for
water resources, $1,986,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $1,119,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation includes the requested increases for the
National Groundwater Monitoring Network; the California Bay
Delta; the Chesapeake Bay; the National Streamflow Information
Program; and State water use grants.
The Committee recommendation also continues funding at the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level for the Water Resources Research
Institutes. The Committee supports the Survey's efforts to
focus this funding on meeting its strategic goals and
objectives, and urges the Survey and interested parties to seek
reauthorization of this program.
The Committee directs that funding for the National
Groundwater Monitoring Network shall be used to provide cost-
share grants to States in the form of cooperative agreements to
upgrade monitoring networks to national standards and to
incorporate wells into the network. The funding will also
support the additional work by the USGS to manage the network
and provide data access through an internet web portal.
Core Science Systems.--The Committee recommends
$106,151,000 for core science systems, $2,656,000 below the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $3,249,000 below the budget
request. The Committee recommendation includes the requested
increases for the Big Earth Data Initiative; Ecosystem
Information; the 3-D Elevation Program; the Alaska mapping
project; and the National Map Modernization effort.
Science Support.--The Committee recommends $105,611,000 for
science support activities, $5,093,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $2,656,000 below the budget request. The
Committee agrees with the proposed reductions in administrative
services.
Facilities.--The Committee recommends $103,332,000 for
facilities, $2,911,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $3,365,000 below the budget request. The Committee
recommendation provides $2,000,000 for the USGS Cost Savings
and Innovation Plan. The Committee supports this long-term
effort to reduce the USGS facilities footprint and directs the
Survey to include a summary of the completed renovations and
analysis of savings achieved in its fiscal year 2016 budget
request, as well as projected future savings to the bureau.
Bill Language.--The bill provides two-year funding
authority except for satellite operations and deferred
maintenance and capital improvement projects, which are no-year
authority. Provisos include a funding limitation on surveys on
private property and a cost-share requirement on topographic
mapping and water resources activities in cooperation with
States and municipalities.
BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is responsible for
the environmentally and economically sound development of the
Nation's offshore energy and mineral resources. The Bureau's
management of these resources helps meet the Nation's energy
needs by providing access to--and fair return to the American
taxpayer for--offshore energy and mineral resources through
strategic planning and resource and economic evaluation.
Conventional energy activities include development of the Five-
Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program;
assessment of mineral resource potential, tracking of
inventories of oil and gas reserves, and development of
production projections; and economic evaluation to ensure the
receipt of fair value through lease sales and lease terms.
OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $69,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 72,422,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 72,422,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +3,422,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $72,422,000 for Ocean Energy
Management as requested and $3,422,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level. The estimated collection of offsetting
rental receipts and cost recovery fees total $97,348,000. The
Committee recommendation does not provide funding for National
Ocean Policy Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning.
The Committee continues to support the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2014 bill language authorizing the
Secretary of the Interior to establish higher minimum rates of
basic pay through fiscal year 2015 for petroleum engineers and
petroleum engineering technicians at the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement.
The Committee supports the development of the ePlans
initiative, which will serve to reduce review processing time
for exploration and development plans and facilitate the timely
issuance of permits. Further, given the highly technical nature
of operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the
Committee supports BOEM's continued collaboration with the
National Academy of Sciences.
The Committee welcomes BOEM's Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (PEIS) for geological and geophysical (G&G)
activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and
encourages the timely issuance of permits for G&G activities to
better understand the potential resources on the Atlantic OCS
and incorporate this information into the development process
of the upcoming 2017-2022 Five Year Program. The Committee
supports the $2,500,000 request to develop the PEIS required to
move forward with the 2017-2022 Five Year Oil and Gas Leasing
Program, and encourages the consideration of leasing for all
areas with reasonable potential for future resource
development, including areas of the Mid- and South-Atlantic.
BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is
responsible for oversight of exploration, development, and
production operations for oil, gas, and other marine minerals
on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Leases in Federal waters
off the shores of California, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico
provide about 25 percent of the Nation's oil production and
more than 10 percent of domestic natural gas production. The
Bureau facilitates the safe and environmentally responsible
development of oil and gas and the conservation of offshore
resources. The Bureau's safety and environmental compliance
activities include oil and gas permitting; facility
inspections, regulations and standards development; safety and
oil spill research; field operations; environmental compliance
and enforcement; review of operator oil spill response plans;
production and development; and operation of a national
training center for inspectors and engineers.
OFFSHORE SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $63,745,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 66,147,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 66,147,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +2,402,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $66,147,000 for Offshore Safety
and Environmental Enforcement as requested, and $2,402,000
above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The estimated
collection of offsetting rental receipts, cost recovery fees
and inspection fees totals $123,579,000.
Environmental Enforcement Activity.--The Committee rejects
the consolidation of the Environmental Enforcement Activity
into the Operations, Safety and Regulation Activity because the
proposal would reduce budget transparency.
The Committee appreciates the Bureau's efforts to keep pace
with new ideas and technologies, and therefore supports the
request for Best Available and Safest Technologies (BAST). The
Committee expects that this investment will leverage funds to
address issues associated with technology validation, testing
protocols and economic feasibility analysis, to ease permitting
processes complicated by ever-emerging technologies in higher-
risk, harsh environments.
Red Snapper Fishery.--The Committee recognizes the
economic, cultural, and recreational importance of the red
snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. The Committee is
concerned that the Bureau's Idle Iron policy, which requires
removal of oil and gas platforms that go unused for a period of
five years, is negatively impacting the red snapper fishery in
the Gulf. Given the importance of this target species and
recent concerns expressed by local communities, the Committee
directs the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to
share with each of the Gulf State's Marine Resources
Departments, and the Committee, its current list of idle
platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and the schedule for removal of
each platform. Additionally, the Committee directs the Bureau
to work with each of the Gulf States regarding incorporating
this abandoned infrastructure into the Rigs to Reefs program of
each State.
OIL SPILL RESEARCH
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $14,899,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 14,899,000
Recommended, 2014..................................... 14,899,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $14,899,000 for Oil Spill
Research, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the
budget request. The Committee supports BSEE's emphasis on
improving oil spill response options and pro-active evaluations
of oil spill response capabilities for conditions unique to
Arctic environments in anticipation of production on the Alaska
North Slope.
The Committee is interested in the Department's findings
related to anticipated maintenance and/or enhancements that
would be needed at the Ohmsett facility. Any plans or intended
investments would be expected within a new strategic plan,
which should be developed prior to expiration of the Bureau's
2012-2015 plan.
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSM), through its regulation and technology account, regulates
surface coal mining operations to ensure that the environment
is reclaimed once mining is completed. The OSM accomplishes
this mission by providing grants and technical assistance to
those States that maintain their own regulatory and reclamation
programs and by conducting oversight of State programs.
Further, the OSM administers the regulatory programs in the
States that do not have their own programs and on Federal and
tribal lands. Through its Abandoned Mine Land (AML) reclamation
program, the OSM provides funding for environmental restoration
at abandoned coal mines based on fees collected from current
coal production operations. In their un-reclaimed condition
these abandoned sites endanger public health and safety, and
prevent the beneficial use of land and water resources.
Mandatory appropriations provide funding for the abandoned coal
mine sites as required under the 2006 amendments to the Surface
Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
REGULATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $122,713,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 116,110,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 121,713,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +5,603,000
The Committee recommends $121,713,000 for Regulation and
Technology, $1,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $5,603,000 above the budget request. Since fiscal year
2011, the Administration has proposed to reduce grants for
State programs in order to pressure States into raising fees on
industry. Each year the Committee has summarily rejected this
proposal and the Committee does so again in fiscal year 2015.
The bill funds regulatory grants at $68,590,000, equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level.
The Committee similarly rejects the proposal to increase
inspections and enhanced Federal oversight of State regulatory
programs. Delegation of the authority to the States is the
cornerstone of the surface mining regulatory program, and State
regulatory programs do not require enhanced Federal oversight
to ensure continued implementation of a protective regulatory
framework. Accordingly, the Committee has not provided the
requested funding and FTE increase for those activities within
the Regulation and Technology account.
Further the Committee has reduced funding for the Office of
the Director within the executive direction line by $1,000,000
and directs OSM and the Administration to discontinue efforts
to push States to raise fees as the bill provides the funds
necessary for States to operate their regulatory programs.
Within 180 days of enactment, the Congressional Research
Service (CRS) shall conduct a study on the status of the 1974
United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan and the 1993
Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan in relation to the solvency
of the private sector contributors to the plans. In particular
the Committee asks CRS to analyze the impact to the pensioners
and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the event of
the insolvency of the plans.
ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATION FUND
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $27,399,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 28,695,000
Recommended, 2015 27,399,000
Comparison:...........................................
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,296,000
The Committee recommends $27,399,000 for the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $1,296,000 below the budget request.
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian
Education, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian
Affairs (together, ``Indian Affairs'') provide services
directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to a service
population of more than 1.7 million American Indians and Alaska
Natives who are enrolled members of 566 federally recognized
Tribes in the 48 contiguous United States and Alaska. While the
role of the organization has changed significantly in the last
four decades in response to a greater emphasis on Indian self-
determination, Tribes still look to Indian Affairs for a broad
spectrum of services. Programs are funded and operated in a
highly decentralized manner, with almost 85 percent of all
appropriations expended at the local level, and over 62 percent
of appropriations provided directly to Tribes and tribal
organizations through grants, contracts, and compacts.
In preparation of the fiscal year 2015 budget, the
Subcommittee held two days of hearings and received testimony
from over 100 witnesses on a variety of topics pertaining to
American Indian and Alaska Native programs. The Federal
government has a legal and moral obligation to provide quality
services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. On a
bipartisan basis, the Committee has been attempting to protect
and, where possible, strengthen the budgets of those agencies
and programs serving Indian Country in this bill to address
longstanding needs.
OPERATION OF INDIAN PROGRAMS
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,378,763,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,412,596,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,434,202,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +55,439,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +21,606,000
The Committee recommends $2,434,202,000 for the operation
of Indian programs, $55,439,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $21,606,000 above the budget request. A
detailed table of funding recommendations below the account
level is provided at the end of this report. The Committee
recommendation includes further details below.
Contract Support Costs.--The Committee recommendation
includes $246,000,000 as requested for full funding of
estimated contract support costs. The Committee expects Indian
Affairs to submit a reprogramming request to the Committee if
the final calculated contract support costs exceed this amount
in order to ensure that contract support costs are fully paid.
The Committee recognizes that inconsistencies exist between the
Bureaus and the Indian Health Service in the ways that contract
support costs are estimated and managed, and encourages both
the agencies and the Tribes to recommend ways that the
Committee can be helpful in promoting consistency. Tribes that
exercise their self-determination rights and enter into
contracts with multiple Federal agencies shouldn't have to
navigate inconsistent rules across different agencies.
Road Maintenance.--The Committee recommends $26,461,000 for
road maintenance, $2,158,000 above the fiscal year 2014
operating plan and $2,000,000 above the budget request. The
Committee recognizes that too many roads on Indian reservations
are in poor condition and are a significant safety concern.
Moreover, poor road conditions have a direct negative impact on
school children. The amount above the budget request is
intended to address the most urgent safety concerns, including
the roads used as school bus routes. The Committee urges Tribes
to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to inventory all
school bus route roads in the reservation system, and to submit
such inventory annually with the Bureau's budget request so
that the Committee can begin to more comprehensively address
this problem.
Trust-Natural Resources Management.--The Committee
recommends $180,352,000 for natural resources management
programs that help the Federal government meet its trust
responsibilities, $3,943,000 below the fiscal year 2014
operating plan and $3,660,000 below the budget request.
Cooperative landscape conservation is funded at $5,948,000,
which is $3,999,000 below the fiscal year 2014 operating plan.
In the Committee's opinion, the Bureau took advantage of its
unique budget flexibility in fiscal year 2014 by increasing
this program from $947,000 to $9,947,000. Forestry is funded at
$47,735,000, equal to the fiscal year 2014 operating plan and
$1,840,000 above the budget request, in recognition of the
importance of tribal forestry management in the larger national
effort to minimize major wildland fires through sustainable
forestry and hazardous fuels reduction.
Education.--The Committee recommends $822,228,000 for
Bureau of Indian Education system operations and maintenance,
$33,474,000 above the fiscal year 2014 operations plan and
$27,839,000 above the budget request. Indian Education remains
among the Committee's top priorities because it is a
fundamental trust responsibility and because the elementary and
secondary students in particular have fallen far behind their
peers for reasons now well documented by the Government
Accountability Office, the Department of Education, and others.
Changes to the budget request and further instructions follow.
The Committee recommends $12,592,000 for the education
program enhancements budget line item, $502,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 operating plan and $473,000 above the budget
request. The Committee recommends $2,000,000 from within funds
for matching competitive grants to tribally controlled schools
that voluntarily choose to implement reforms recommended by the
joint Department of the Interior--Department of Education
American Indian Education Study Group.
The Committee recommends $15,520,000 for early child and
family development, $69,000 above the fiscal year 2014
operating plan and equal to the budget request. The Committee
strongly supports early childhood development models that
address the achievement gap of Indian children primarily
located on rural reservations by teaching preschool Indian
children the skills they need to begin school and offering
developmental opportunities for parents. The BIE is directed to
publish its report on the 2013-14 school year internal review
of early childhood education programs in order to improve
program direction and transparency.
The Committee recommends $72,019,000 to fully fund tribal
grant support costs, $23,766,000 above the fiscal year 2014
operating plan and the budget request. The Committee recognizes
that fully funding these costs is consistent with the policy of
fully funding contract support costs, and is instrumental for
encouraging tribal control of schools.
The Committee recommends $2,000,000 for competitive grants
to Tribal Education Departments as authorized by section 1042
of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (25 U.S.C. 2020).
The Committee recommends $14,739,000 for the Johnson
O'Malley program, $401,000 above the fiscal year 2014 operating
plan and equal to the budget request. The BIE is directed, in
coordination with the Department of Education including using
existing Department methods if practicable, and in consultation
with Tribes, to biennially update its count of students
eligible for the Johnson-O'Malley Program, and to include a
discussion of the application of the results in its annual
budget request to Congress, beginning with the fiscal year 2016
request.
Early childhood caries (i.e. cavities) is an epidemic in
Indian country and among other things it impacts the ability of
children to concentrate and learn. The Committee received
testimony again this year about an initiative to increase
preventive dental care for children by bringing dentists and
hygienists into elementary schools. The Committee
recommendation includes $500,000 in the Indian Health Service
budget to begin the initiative and directs the BIE to work with
the Service and to consult with Tribes about piloting the
initiative in the BIE school system.
The Committee is supportive of standards and curricula that
emphasize tribal history, language and culture. As alternative
proposals are considered, language immersion should be
carefully considered as a serious option for improved language
development and student outcomes.
The Committee notes with concern the BIE's implementation
of Common Core assessments in light of shortfalls in IT
technology at most schools. The BIE is directed to include in
its fiscal year 2016 budget request an estimate of the IT
readiness at each of the 183 schools in the BIE system.
The Committee continues language limiting the expansion of
grades and schools in the BIE system, including charter
schools, but has revised the language to delegate waiver
authority to the BIE Director instead of the Assistant
Secretary. The intent of the language is to prevent already
limited funds from being spread further to additional schools
and grades. The intent is not to limit tribal flexibility at
existing schools. Nothing in the bill is intended to prohibit a
Tribe from converting a tribally-controlled school already in
the BIE system to a charter school in accordance with State and
Federal law.
The Committee includes new bill language providing the BIE
Director with the authority to approve satellite schools of
existing BIE schools if a tribe can demonstrate that the
establishment of such satellite schools would provide
comparable levels of education as are being offered at such
existing BIE schools, and would not significantly increase
costs to the Federal Government. The intent is to provide
tribes with additional flexibilities as to where students are
educated without compromising how they are educated and to
significantly reduce the hardship and expense of transporting
students over long distances, without unduly increasing costs
that would otherwise unfairly come at the expense of other
schools in the BIE system.
The Committee remains concerned that control of BIE's
budget, procurement, hiring, and facilities maintenance and
construction reside not within BIE but within the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and the Deputy Assistant Secretary-Management
(see Government Accountability Office report GAO-13-774). For
the fiscal year 2016 budget, the Committee will consider a new
budget structure so that the BIE can manage all funds
appropriated for the BIE school system. The Committee believes
this change is necessary for leadership stability and
accountability within the BIE. The Committee encourages the
Secretary to submit a fiscal year 2016 budget proposing these
changes after consulting with Tribes and tribal organizations.
Public Safety and Justice.--The Committee recommends
$352,850,000 for public safety and justice, $2,836,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 operating plan and $1,000,000 above the
budget request. The amount above the budget request is to
provide training in Indian country to carry out the new
provisions in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of
2013.
For the purpose of addressing the needs of American Indian
youth in custody at tribal detention centers operated or
administered by the BIA, the Committee considers educational
and health-related services to juveniles in custody to be
allowable costs for detention/corrections program funding.
Indian Arts and Crafts Board.--The Committee recommends
$1,279,000 as requested to transfer the Indian Arts and Crafts
Board from the Office of the Secretary to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
Energy.--The Committee directs the Secretary to streamline
and better coordinate all Departmental activities relating to
Indian energy development, and to extend the coordination with
other Federal agencies where feasible. As part of this effort,
the Secretary should evaluate whether fees collected by the BLM
from applications for permits to drill on Indian lands are
fairly invested in staff dedicated to processing Indian energy
permits, or whether funds are redirected elsewhere. A mechanism
is needed to streamline the Federal permitting process and
minimize the time required to obtain the necessary approvals
across the many Federal agency jurisdictions. The Secretary is
encouraged to submit with the fiscal year 2016 budget request a
proposal to transfer funds as necessary to create an Indian
energy permitting and oversight office geographically located
close to the center of current demand for energy development on
Indian lands. Memoranda of understanding are encouraged if
necessary to co-locate Department of Agriculture, Army Corps of
Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency personnel where
practicable. The Secretary is encouraged to further pursue
industry-funded employment agreements to increase permitting
capacity on Indian lands, as recommended by the Office of
Inspector General in June, 2014, and to carefully construct
these agreements to avoid conflict-of-interest issues and
minimize risks to the Federal Government.
Federal Recognition.--The Committee understands the
Administration's desire to improve the Federal tribal
recognition process, including the long delay from the date of
filing of the petition to the actual decision. The Committee
encourages the Secretary to carefully consider the input of all
stakeholders in the development of the final rule.
CONSTRUCTION
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $110,124,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 109,908,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 167,378,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +57,254,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +57,470,000
The Committee recommends $167,378,000 for Construction,
$57,254,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$57,470,000 above the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report. The Committee recommendation includes
further details below.
Education.--The Committee recommends $112,958,000 for
education construction, $57,673,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $57,425,000 above the budget request. Of the
recommended amount, $58,622,000 is for replacement school
construction, $3,823,000 is for employee housing repair, and
$50,513,000 is for facilities improvement and repair, restoring
the cut proposed in the budget request.
The amount for replacement school construction completes
the last three projects on the 2004 priority list. The
Committee directs the BIE to publish a new list in time for the
fiscal year 2016 funding cycle. The BIE is urged to work with
Tribes to develop and publish a maintenance and improvement
plan for the full life cycle of each of the 183 schools in the
BIE system and to budget accordingly.
The Committee notes the conditions of the Bug O Nay Ge Shig
School of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe as an example of the
significant safety and health hazards that have not received
due attention by this Administration. The Committee urges the
BIE to continue to work with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and
other Tribes to repair and replace their school facilities.
Public Safety and Justice.--The Committee commends the
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation for
their initiative in addressing law enforcement needs by
constructing a justice center to house their adult and juvenile
detention and rehabilitation center, tribal courts, and police
department. The Committee also commends the Bureau of Indian
Affairs in its efforts to assist the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in
ensuring that the Center continues to operate effectively.
Knowing that work must be done in consultation with Tribes, the
Committee continues to encourage the Bureau to consider
establishing regional detention centers at new or existing
facilities, such as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes' Justice
Center, as it works to combat the crime problem in Indian
Country.
The Committee urges the Office of Inspector General to
update its 2004 report on Indian detention facilities.
Maintenance Shortfalls.--The Committee is concerned that
requested funding falls short of calculated amounts to properly
operate and maintain facilities as indicated by the Bureau's
Facilities Maintenance Information System (FMIS), and that
improperly funding maintenance now will lead to higher
replacement costs in future years. The Committee directs the
Bureau to submit with its annual budget request a table showing
differences between amounts requested and amounts calculated by
the FMIS, facilities condition index, estimates of outyear
costs, and a justification of any requested funding shortfalls.
INDIAN LAND AND WATER CLAIM SETTLEMENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS PAYMENTS TO
INDIANS
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $35,655,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 35,655,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 35,655,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $35,655,000 for Indian Land and
Water Claim Settlements and Miscellaneous Payments to Indians,
equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the budget
request.
The Committee believes that the resolution of pending
Indian water rights settlements is critically important to
resolve outstanding legal claims against the United States and
to provide Tribes with clean and reliable water supplies that
are fundamental to economic growth and self-determination. They
also benefit surrounding communities by providing water rights
certainty. The Committee supports the Department's efforts to
fulfill commitments relating to Indian water rights settlements
and its participation in negotiations of the Pechanga Band of
Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement.
INDIAN GUARANTEED LOAN PROGRAM ACCOUNT
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $6,731,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 6,731,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 7,731,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +1,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +1,000,000
The Committee recommends $7,731,000 for the Indian
Guaranteed Loan Program Account, $1,000,000 above the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and the budget request. Unemployment is
a serious problem in Indian country. This program enables
Indian Tribes and native-owned businesses to secure financing
for development projects and for startup and expansion of
business operations.
Departmental Offices
Office of the Secretary
The Office of the Secretary supports a wide-range of
Departmental business, policy, and oversight functions. In
September 2010, Secretarial Order 3306 established the Office
of Natural Resources Revenue as part of the reorganization of
the former Minerals Management Service (MMS). This revenue
collection and compliance function is now managed within the
Office of the Secretary.
DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $264,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 265,272,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 255,736,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -8,264,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -9,536,000
The Committee recommends $255,736,000 for Departmental
Operations, $8,264,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $9,536,000 below the budget request. The Committee concurs
with the budget request proposal to transfer the Indian Arts
and Crafts Board from the Office of the Secretary to the Bureau
of Indian Affairs.
National Monument Designations.--The Department is directed
to work collaboratively with interested parties, including but
not limited to, the Congress, States, local communities, tribal
governments and others prior to planning, implementing, or
making national monument designations.
Contracting Models.--The Department provides transaction
services between the public and the agency that result in the
issuance of permits and registrations, and generate fee
payments to support many diverse programs. In support of
operating these programs efficiently, the Committee believes
that in some instances using transaction-based or no-cost
contracting models for delivering or procuring goods and
services can save resources and avoid costs. The Committee
encourages DOI and its bureaus and offices to pursue these
models when it is appropriate and when it will result in
efficiencies, savings or cost avoidance. The Committee directs
DOI to report on the use of transaction-based or no-costing
funding models for procuring goods and services within 120 days
of enactment of this Act.
Technical Assistance.--The Committee understands and values
the technical expertise and depth of knowledge that Federal
land managers and researchers possess, and sees the potential
value in encouraging senior employees to share their expertise
and technical assistance to supporting national parks and
forests in other countries. The Committee also recognizes the
value of encouraging these individuals to volunteer their
services, consistent with ethics laws and requirements. The
Committee encourages the Secretary of the Interior and the
Chief of the Forest Service to connect willing former and
current senior employees with opportunities to assist other
countries in building the capacity to manage natural resources
and public lands.
Bill Language.--The Committee has included bill language
extending mandatory funding of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes
(PILT) Program for fiscal year 2015.
Insular Affairs
ASSISTANCE TO TERRITORIES
The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) was established on
August 4, 1995, through Secretarial Order No. 3191, which also
abolished the former Office of Territorial and International
Affairs. The OIA has important responsibilities to help the
United States government fulfill its responsibilities to the
four U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa (AS), U.S. Virgin
Islands (USVI) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) and also the three freely associated States: the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the
Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau. The permanent
and trust fund payments to the territories and the compact
nations provide substantial financial resources to these
governments. During fiscal year 2004, financial arrangements
for the Compacts of Free Association with the FSM and the RMI
were implemented. These also included mandatory payments for
certain activities previously provided in discretionary
appropriations as well as Compact impact payments of
$30,000,000 per year split among Guam, CNMI, AS, and Hawaii.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $85,976,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 88,927,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 85,476,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -500,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -3,451,000
The Committee recommends $85,476,000 for Assistance to
Territories, $500,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $3,451,000 below the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report.
COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $16,465,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 3,318,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 3,318,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -13,147,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $3,318,000 for Compact of Free
Association, $13,147,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and equal to the budget request. The Committee expects
the Compact will be renegotiated and therefore the
discretionary stopgap funding will not be necessary in fiscal
year 2015. A detailed table of funding recommendations below
the account level is provided at the end of this report.
Office of the Solicitor
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $65,800,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 65,800,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 64,024,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,776,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,776,000
The Committee recommends $64,024,000 for salaries and
expenses of the Office of the Solicitor, $1,776,000 below the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the budget request.
Office of Inspector General
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $50,831,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 50,047,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 49,458,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,373,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -589,000
The Committee recommends $49,458,000 for salaries and
expenses of the Office of Inspector General, $1,373,000 below
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $589,000 below the
budget request. The Committee urges the Office of Inspector
General to update its 2004 report on Indian detention
facilities.
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians
FEDERAL TRUST PROGRAMS
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Congress has designated the Secretary of the Interior as
the trustee delegate with responsibility for approximately 55
million surface acres of land, 57 million acres of subsurface
mineral interests, and nearly $4.4 billion that is held in
trust by the Federal Government on behalf of American Indians,
Alaska Natives, and federally recognized Indian Tribes. The
Office of the Special Trustee's trust management of these
assets includes conserving, maintaining, accounting, investing,
disbursing, and reporting to individual Indians and federally
recognized Tribes and tribal organizations on asset
transactions generated from sales, leasing and other commercial
activities on these lands.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $139,677,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 139,029,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 139,029,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -648,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $139,029,000 for Federal trust
programs, $648,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
equal to the budget request. A detailed table of funding
recommendations below the account level is provided at the end
of this report.
DEPARTMENT-WIDE PROGRAMS
Wildland Fire Management
The Department's Wildland Fire Management and FLAME
wildfire suppression reserve accounts support fire activities
for the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service,
the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $769,482,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 793,969,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 804,779,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +35,297,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +10,810,000
The Committee recommends $804,779,000 for Wildland Fire
Management at the Department of the Interior, $35,297,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $10,810,000 above the
budget request. Total funding provided in fiscal year 2015 for
Department-wide wildland fire accounts is $896,779,000. The
detailed allocation of funding for these accounts is included
in the table at the end of this report.
The Committee notes that the budget request included a
provision almost identical to legislation that has been
developed in the House (H.R. 3992) and the Senate (S. 1875).
The budget request proposes to allow wildland fire suppression
costs above 70 percent of the 10-year average for fire
suppression to be paid from within the discretionary budget cap
adjustment established for natural disasters, recognizing that
wildland fires are a natural disaster akin to hurricanes,
tornadoes, and floods. As the issue of the disaster cap
adjustment falls outside of the Committee's jurisdiction, the
Committee's recommendation does not include the request for
suppression funding through the disaster cap adjustment. As in
recent years, suppression operations are fully funded at the
10-year average level within the suppression operations account
and the FLAME wildfire suppression reserve fund.
The Committee is concerned that there may have been recent
instances in which requests for information related to
wildfires from Congressional, State and local government
offices were not met with a full disclosure of information. The
Committee expects the Department of the Interior to respond in
a timely manner to such requests, so as not to impede the
oversight responsibilities of Congressional committees, and
State and local government offices.
The Committee encourages the Department to consider the
potential use of existing commercial satellite technology to
provide early warning, mitigation and response capabilities for
wildland fires and to determine whether such technology may
provide a low-cost early warning capability to save lives and
property.
Wildfire Preparedness.--The Committee recommends
$318,970,000 for Wildfire Preparedness, $37,042,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
The Department should immediately notify the Committees on
Appropriations if it appears that funding shortfalls may limit
needed firefighting capacity.
Wildfire Suppression Operations.--The Committee recommends
$291,657,000, for Wildfire Suppression Operations, $5,779,000
above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $23,097,000 above
the budget request. The Committee recommendation, including
$92,000,000 in the FLAME wildfire suppression reserve fund,
fully funds the 10-year fire suppression average expenditures.
Fuels Management.--The Committee recommends $160,000,000
for the Fuels Management program (formerly ``Hazardous
Fuels''), $14,976,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $13,713,000 above the budget request. The Committee is
encouraged that the budget request included a small increase
over the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and recommends
prioritizing funding for proactive hazardous fuels management
and fire mitigation.
The Department is directed to implement effective
treatments in frequent fire forests that restore forest
resiliency and reduce hazardous fuels. Treatments should be
placed to effectively modify fire behavior and protect assets
at risk including life and property.
The Committee directs the Department of the Interior to
work collaboratively with the Forest Service and other
stakeholders in developing hazardous fuels management plans
that take into consideration the conservation of sage-grouse
habitat.
The Committee encourages the administration to seek
additional funding in fiscal year 2016 and subsequent fiscal
years to continue this concerted effort.
Burned Area Rehabilitation.--The Committee recommends
$22,035,000 for the Burned Area Rehabilitation program,
$6,000,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$4,000,000 above the budget request. The Committee directs the
Department to use the additional $6,000,000 for emergency
stabilization, rehabilitation and seed to restore areas burned
by wildfire with an emphasis on restoring sage-grouse habitat
and encourages the Department to seek additional funding in
fiscal year 2016 and subsequent fiscal years to ensure the
rehabilitation of the sage-grouse habitat. The Committee notes
that funding for emergency stabilization is meant to supplement
emergency stabilization funding provided under suppression
(generally ten percent), not replace it. The Committee is also
concerned by the delay of emergency stabilization and
rehabilitation funds to State and/or regional offices and
directs the Department to more quickly allocate these funds so
that critical work can be completed in a timely manner.
Finally, the Department is directed to work with the Bureau of
Land Management on the seed procurement direction provided in
this report.
The Committee is concerned with the pace of planning and
implementation of post-fire rehabilitation by the Department of
the Interior. The slow pace of rehabilitation leaves
communities unable to access timber resources and delays the
regeneration of Federal forests. The Committee directs the
Department of the Interior to prioritize and expedite planning
and implementation of post-fire rehabilitation projects.
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $92,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 0
Recommended, 2015..................................... 92,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +92,000,000
The Committee recommends $92,000,000 for the FLAME Wildfire
Suppression Reserve Fund, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $92,000,000 above the budget request. As discussed
above under the Wildland Fire Management account, the Committee
fully funds the 10-year average expenditure for wildfire
suppression.
Central Hazardous Materials Fund
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $9,598,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 10,010,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 9,598,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -412,000
The Committee recommends $9,598,000 for the Central
Hazardous Materials Fund, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $412,000 below the budget request.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FUND
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $6,263,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 7,767,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 6,094,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -169,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,673,000
The Committee recommends $6,094,000 for the Natural
Resource Damage Assessment Fund, $169,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $1,673,000 below the budget request. A
detailed table of funding recommendations below the account
level is provided at the end of this report.
Working Capital Fund
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $57,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 64,307,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 53,786,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -3,214,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -10,521,000
The Committee recommends $53,786,000 for the Working
Capital Fund, $3,214,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $10,521,000 below the budget request.
General Provisions, Department of the Interior (Including Transfers of
Funds)
Section 101 continues a provision providing for emergency
transfer authority (intra-bureau) with the approval of the
Secretary.
Section 102 continues a provision providing for emergency
transfer authority (Department-wide) with the approval of the
Secretary.
Section 103 continues a provision providing for the use of
appropriations for certain services.
Section 104 continues a provision permitting the transfer
of funds between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of
Indian Education, and the Office of the Special Trustee for
American Indians.
Section 105 continues a provision authorizing the
acquisition of lands for the purpose of operating and
maintaining facilities that support visitors to Ellis,
Governors, and Liberty Islands, NJ and NY.
Section 106 continues a provision allowing Outer
Continental Shelf inspection fees to be collected by the
Secretary of the Interior.
Section 107 continues a provision authorizing the Bureau of
Land Management to implement an oil and gas leasing Internet
program.
Section 108 continues a provision allowing for the
reorganization of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation and Enforcement only in conformance with Committee
reprogramming guidelines.
Section 109 continues a provision allowing the Bureau of
Land Management to enter into long-term cooperative agreements
for long-term care and maintenance of excess wild horses and
burros on private land.
Section 110 continues a provision dealing with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service's responsibilities for mass marking
of salmonid stocks.
Section 111 modifies a provision addressing BLM actions
regarding grazing on public lands.
Section 112 continues a provision prohibiting funds to
implement, administer or enforce Secretarial Order 3310 issued
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 22, 2010.
Section 113 continues a provision providing the Secretary
of the Interior statutory authority to enter into rental or
lease agreements that benefit Bureau of Indian Education
operated schools.
Section 114 continues through fiscal year 2020 forest
ecosystem health and recovery activities.
Section 115 maintains the status quo on regulations
relating to the legal domestic trade and transport of products
containing ivory.
Section 116 suspends any further study, withdrawal or
finalization of any rule pertaining to the valley elderberry
longhorn beetle and re-opens the public comment period.
Section 117 delays the issuance of further rules for sage-
grouse.
Section 118 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to issue
a recovery plan and economic analysis of recovery plan actions
for certain amphibians.
TITLE II--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created by
Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, which consolidated nine
programs from five different agencies and departments. Major
EPA programs include air and water quality, drinking water,
hazardous waste, research, pesticides, radiation, toxic
substances, enforcement and compliance assurance, pollution
prevention, Inland oil spill, Superfund, Brownfields, and the
Leaking Underground Storage Tank program. In addition, EPA
provides Federal assistance for wastewater treatment, sewer
overflow control, drinking water facilities, other water
infrastructure projects, and diesel emission reduction
projects. The Agency is responsible for conducting research and
development, establishing environmental standards through the
use of risk assessment and cost-benefit, monitoring pollution
conditions, seeking compliance through enforcement actions,
managing audits and investigations, and providing technical
assistance and grant support to States and Tribes, which are
delegated authority for much of the program implementation.
Under existing statutory authority, the Agency contributes to
specific homeland security efforts and may participate in
international environmental activities.
Among the statutes for which the Environmental Protection
Agency has sole or significant oversight responsibilities are:
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, as
amended.
Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended.
Clean Water Act [Federal Water Pollution Control Act], as
amended.
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended.
Ocean Dumping Act [Marine Protection, Research, and
Sanctuaries Act of 1972], as amended.
Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Safe Drinking Water Act [Public Health Service Act (Title
XIV)], as amended.
Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.
Clean Air Act, as amended.
Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002.
Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended.
Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act of 2002 (amending CERCLA).
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986.
Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.
Pollution Prosecution Act of 1990.
Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003.
Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
For fiscal year 2015, the Committee recommends
$7,482,747,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency,
$717,253,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$407,273,000 below the budget request. Comparison to the budget
request and 2014 enacted levels are shown by account in the
table at the end of the report.
Reprogramming.--The Agency is held to the reprogramming
limitation of $1,000,000. This limitation will be applied to
each program area in every account at the levels provided in
the table at the end of this report. This will allow the Agency
the flexibility to reprogram funds within a set program area.
However, where the Committee has cited funding levels for
certain program projects or activities within a program area,
the reprogramming limitation continues to apply to those
funding levels. Further, the Agency may not use any amount of
de-obligated funds to initiate a new program, office, or
initiative without the prior approval of the Committee. The
other guidelines laid out in the ``Reprogramming Guidelines''
section of this report continue to be in effect.
Congressional Budget Justification.--The Committee finds
that EPA's fiscal year 2015 Congressional justification
proposes no less than 93 realignments of personnel or
resources, but does not include a table showing the realignment
of resources and personnel from one program project to another.
This violates the Committee's annual directive for the budget
justification to include a table showing that the outgoing and
receiving program projects offset to reflect a realignment of
resources (restated in fifth directive below). The Committee
directs the Agency to include in future justifications the
following items: (1) a comprehensive index of programs and
activities within the program projects; (2) the requested bill
language, with changes from the enacted language highlighted,
at the beginning of each account section; (3) a justification
for every program/project, including those proposed for
elimination; (4) a comprehensive, detailed explanation of all
changes within a program project; (5) a table showing
consolidations, realignments or other transfers of resources
and personnel from one program project to another such that the
outgoing and receiving program projects offset and clearly
illustrate a transfer of resources; and, (6) a table listing
the budgets and FTE by major office within each National
Program Management area with pay/non-pay breakouts. Further, if
EPA is proposing to change state allocation formulas for the
distribution of appropriated funds, then EPA should include
such proposals in the Congressional justification.
Science and Technology
The Science and Technology (S&T) account funds all
Environmental Protection Agency research (including Superfund
research activities paid with funds moved into this account
from the Hazardous Substance Superfund account). This account
includes programs carried out through grants, contracts, and
cooperative agreements, cooperative research and development
agreements, and interagency agreements, with other Federal
agencies, States, universities, nonprofit organizations, and
private business, as well as in-house research. It also funds
personnel compensation and benefits, travel, supplies and
operating expenses, including rent, utilities and security, for
all Agency research. Research addresses a wide range of
environmental and health concerns across all environmental
media and encompasses both long-term basic and near-term
applied research to provide the scientific knowledge and
technologies necessary for preventing, regulating, and abating
pollution, and to anticipate emerging environmental issues.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $759,156,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 763,772,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 716,588,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -42,568,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -47,184,000
The bill provides $716,588,000 for Science and Technology,
$42,568,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$47,184,000 below the budget request. The Committee recommends
that $18,850,000 be paid to this account from the Hazardous
Substance Superfund account for ongoing research activities.
The Committee provides the following additional detail by
program area:
Clean Air and Climate.--The Committee recommends
$112,738,000 and remains supportive of efforts to accelerate
engine certifications within base funds.
Homeland Security.--The Committee recommends $38,257,000.
The Committee supports the continued work on the Water Security
Initiative and rejects the proposed realignment of funds from
other water security activities.
Research: Air, Climate and Energy.--The Committee
recommends $90,282,000 and does not include funding for
proposed additional hydraulic fracturing activities with the
Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior.
Research: Chemical Safety and Sustainability.--The
Committee recommends $130,832,000. The Committee rejects the
proposed $1,533,000 reduction for the IRIS program. EPA is
directed to use the funds provided to accelerate the
implementation of the Chapter 7 recommendations and contract
with the National Academy of Sciences to review the draft
formaldehyde assessment, when released, to ensure that the
recommendations contained in the 2011 NAS report have been
fully addressed. Further, the Committee rejects the proposed
$1,198,000 reduction for the endocrine disruptor research. The
Committee does not support proposed delays in this critical and
innovative research and directs EPA to continue to evaluate
real-world exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals,
nanomaterials and other chemicals of concern. The use of high
throughput programs like ToxCast and Tox21 will enable the
Agency to characterize the risk and effects resulting from
exposures to chemicals of concern.
Research: National Priorities.--The bill provides
$4,234,000 which shall be used for extramural research grants,
independent of the STAR grant program, to fund high-priority
water quality and availability research by not-for-profit
organizations who often partner with the Agency. Funds shall be
awarded competitively with priority given to partners proposing
research of national scope and who provide a 25 percent match.
The Agency is directed to allocate funds to grantees within 180
days of enactment of this Act.
Research: Safe and Sustainable Water Resources.--The
Committee recommends $102,576,000. To date Congress has
provided $25 million to fund EPA's research to determine
whether there is a relationship between hydraulic fracturing
activities and drinking water. The Committee finds this amount
to be sufficient to accomplish the requested study and provides
no further funding in fiscal year 2015. EPA is directed to
remain within the scope of the original 2010 request and to
submit the study's findings following appropriate public
comment and peer review as directed in House Report 112-151.
Further, within the funds provided, the Committee supports
research to reduce the costs and impacts of combined sewer
overflows.
Additional Guidance.--The Committee has included the
following additional guidance with respect to funding provided
under this account.
Bristol Bay Assessment.--The recommendation includes no
funds for activities related to the Bristol Bay watershed
assessment, as requested.
Endocrine Disruptor Research.--The Committee has
longstanding interest in EPA's effort to determine possible
health and environmental effects of chemicals. As part of EPA's
overall efforts to modernize risk assessment protocols, the
Committee encourages EPA to incorporate the various
recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences reports as
well as all other relevant scientific literature and
recommendations. Further, the Committee commends EPA for
developing new scientific methods, removing barriers, and
fostering cooperation in implementing the toxicity testing
agenda that the 2007 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report
on Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century puts forth. The Agency
is directed to submit to the Committee a report that outlines
(1) progress to date to research, develop, validate and
translate innovative chemical testing methods that characterize
toxicity pathways, (2) efforts to coordinate across federal
agencies, and (3) future plans to continue to implement the
toxicity testing vision and strategy in the NAS report.
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).--In May 2014,
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) provided a list of high
priority recommendations that can be carried out within EPA's
current revisions of the program. Specifically, an emphasis on
transparency; reliance on high quality studies; improved
methodologies for systematic review of the literature, for
evaluating evidence, and for integrating evidence across
different types of scientific information; improvements in peer
review; and improved program management in order to keep pace
with scientific advances that need to be implemented.
Therefore, the Committee directs the Agency to provide to the
Committee by March 1, 2015 a report detailing how EPA will
apply all of the NAS high priority reforms to pipeline projects
with particular emphasis on evidence integration.
Mobile Unit Technologies.--The Committee is concerned that
not enough research is being done to explore mobile, innovative
clean water producing units for post-disaster relief
applications and operations. The Committee urges the Agency to
explore mobile unit technology using funds provided.
Environmental Programs and Management
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.
Abatement, prevention, and compliance activities include
setting environmental standards, issuing permits, monitoring
emissions and ambient conditions and providing technical and
legal assistance toward enforcement, compliance, and oversight.
In most cases, the States are directly responsible for actual
operation of the various environmental programs, and the
Agency's activities include oversight and assistance.
In addition to program costs, this account funds
administrative costs associated with the operating programs of
the Agency, including support for executive direction, policy
oversight, resources management, general office and building
services for program operations, and direct implementation of
Agency environmental programs for headquarters, the ten EPA
regional offices, and all non-research field operations.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,624,149,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,737,156,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,508,603,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -115,546,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -228,553,000
The bill provides $2,508,603,000 for Environmental Programs
and Management, $115,546,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $228,553,000 below the budget request. The Committee
provides the following additional detail by program area:
Brownfields.--The Committee recommends $23,680,000 and does
not include funding for the Smart Growth program, a voluntary
interagency partnership established in 2009 without a
Congressional mandate.
Clean Air and Climate.--The Committee recommends
$266,741,000. Within this amount, the recommendation includes
$20,036,000 for Federal Stationary Source Regulations, which is
$6,508,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$12,878,000 below the budget request. The amount provided does
not include funding for EPA's greenhouse gas rules for
stationary sources. The recommendation also includes
$117,457,000 for Federal Support for Air Quality Management.
Within the funds provided, the Committee recommends the
$3,000,000 increase to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness
of both preconstruction and operating permitting programs.
Enforcement.--The Committee recommends $226,656,000. The
Committee remains skeptical of EPA's request for increase
salary and benefit needs despite reductions in the FTE levels.
None of the funds made available herein may be used to enforce
section 2.2.3.5 of the Vessel General Permit for Discharges
Incidental to the Normal Operation of Vessels, as in effect on
December 19, 2013, with respect to the owner or operator of a
vessel that has been granted an extension to the implementation
schedule for ballast water management discharge standards
pursuant to part 151 of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations.
Environmental Protection: National Priorities.--The bill
provides $12,700,000 for a competitive grant program to provide
technical assistance for improved water quality or safe
drinking water to rural and urban communities or individual
private well owners. The Agency is directed to provide
$11,000,000 for grants to qualified not-for-profit
organizations, on a national or multi-state regional basis, for
on-site training and technical assistance for water systems in
rural or urban communities. The Agency is also directed to
provide $1,700,000 for grants to qualified not-for-profit
organizations for technical assistance for individual private
well owners, with priority given to organizations that provide
technical and educational assistance to individual private well
owners. The Agency shall require each grantee to provide a
minimum 10 percent match, including in-kind contributions. The
Agency is directed to allocate funds to grantees within 180
days of enactment of this Act.
Geographic Programs.--The bill provides $406,256,000. The
Committee has provided funding for programs that support
restoration and protection of our nation's most important water
bodies, as protection of these resources continues to be a
priority. From within the amount provided, the Committee
directs the following:
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.--The Committee
recommends $300,000,000 for the Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative (GLRI) equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $25,000,000 above the budget request. With this funding the
Committee has provided nearly $2 billion to restore the Great
Lakes since 2010 and the GLRI continues to be the largest
single recipient of funds within Geographic Programs. The
Agency shall continue to follow the direction as provided in
House Report 112-589.
Chesapeake Bay.--The Committee recommends $70,000,000. From
within the amount provided, $6,000,000 is for nutrient and
sediment removal grants and $6,000,000 is for small watershed
grants to control polluted runoff from urban, suburban and
agricultural lands. Further, none of the funds made available
herein shall be used to implement or assist in the
implementation of a State regulation that was developed using a
phosphorus management tool.
Puget Sound.--The Committee recommends $20,000,000. Funds
shall be allocated in the same manner as directed in House
Report 112-331. The Committee directs EPA to expeditiously
obligate funds, in a manner consistent with the authority and
responsibilities under Section 320 and the National Estuary
Program.
Long Island Sound.--The Committee recommends $3,940,000 for
the Long Island Sound equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $1,047,000 above the budget request.
Other Geographic Activities.--The recommendation does not
include funding for the Northwest Forest program or for the new
Southern New England Estuaries program. All remaining
geographic program areas not previously mentioned are funded as
requested.
Information Exchange/Outreach.--The Committee recommends
$119,010,000. From within this amount, $1,700,000 has been
provided for the Administrator's Immediate Office. The bill
provides $3,600,000 for the Office of Congressional and
Intergovernmental Relations (OCIR). In Division G of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, the Committee directed
OCIR to provide a quarterly status report to inform the
workload; however, OCIR has yet to submit the requested
information. The Committee is acutely aware that a backlog of
responses to Congressional letters, questions for the record,
and informal questions exists, as Member offices have requested
the Committee's assistance to obtain answers. Further, for
three consecutive years, EPA has failed to submit responses to
the Committee's questions for the record in time for inclusion
into the public record. The EPA is the only agency under the
jurisdiction of this bill that has failed to meet these
necessary deadlines. The pattern suggests an ongoing and
systematic approach to hinder Congressional oversight via a
lack of responsiveness to Congressional inquiries. Therefore
the Committee has reduced by fifty percent funding for both the
Administrator's Immediate Office and for the Office of
Congressional Affairs. The Committee will not consider any
additional funding for these offices until the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency submits to the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives (1) responses to
all questions for the record from the Committee for fiscal year
2015, (2) overdue quarterly reports on the status of balances
required under section 418 of division G of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76), and (3) all
overdue reports not submitted by the deadlines included in the
explanatory statement relating to division G of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76).
Legal/Science/Regulatory/Economic Review.--The Committee
recommends $89,234,000 and does not include funding for the
Smart Growth Program. The Committee recommends $20,700,000 for
the Office of Policy to fund salaries and expenses of existing
FTE.
Operations and Administration.--The Committee recommends
$473,482,000 which is $7,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $32,811,000 below the budget request. Of this
amount, $1,475,000 has been provided for the Immediate Office
of the Chief Financial Officer. As noted elsewhere within the
report, EPA has failed to submit timely responses to the
Committee's questions for the record for three consecutive
years. The Committee will not consider any additional funding
for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer until the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency submits to
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
(1) responses to all questions for the record from the
Committee for fiscal year 2015, (2) overdue quarterly reports
on the status of balances required under section 418 of
division G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public
Law 113-76), and (3) all overdue reports not submitted by the
deadlines included in the explanatory statement relating to
division G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public
Law 113-76).
In addition, the Committee is concerned about a number of
management issues that have surfaced over the past year. The
lack of administrative controls for employee payroll, travel,
bonuses, and time and attendance has fostered several instances
of waste, fraud and abuse of appropriated funds. Further,
significant carryover balances at the end of fiscal year 2013
led the Committee to question the Agency's management of funds
under sequestration. The Committee believes that sequestration
impacts on agency personnel could have been significantly
reduced. Additionally, the Committee is troubled by the amount
of expired balances that continue to accumulate. The Committee
has yet to receive information requested regarding expired
balances, and directs the Agency to submit a report within 30
days of the date of enactment of this Act that shows by account
and by fiscal year the total amount of expired balances.
Lastly, the Committee is troubled by the Agency's practice of
transferring carryover amounts to fund current year payroll,
fixed cost or contract needs. This practice invalidates Agency
estimates of fiscal year needs and further calls into question
the Agency's management of funds.
Water: Ecosystems.--The Committee recommends $44,980,000.
From within the amount provided, the recommendation includes
$16,800,000 to provide $600,000 to each National Estuary
Program (NEP) funded under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act.
The Committee also provides $300,000 in competitive grants
within the coastal activities and encourages EPA to work in
consultation with the NEP directors to identify worthy projects
and activities. In addition, the Committee recommends
$19,882,000 for the Wetlands program. The Committee directs EPA
to use the funds provided to accelerate the processing of
mining permits with the Corps of Engineers. Further, the
Committee directs EPA, in consultation with the Corps of
Engineers, to continue to report monthly on the number of
Section 404 permits under review according to the directive in
Division G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. The
Committee has been displeased with the lack of timely
information contained within the two monthly reports submitted
to date and directs EPA to improve both the quality and
timeliness of these reports. Further, the recommendation
includes no funds for activities related to the Bristol Bay
watershed assessment, as requested.
Water Quality Protection.--The Committee recommends
$192,550,000. Within this amount the Committee recommends
$4,400,000 for the Urban Waters program, as requested. The
Committee supports EPA's efforts to expanding technical
assistance for communities seeking to develop and implement an
integrated planning approach to meeting Clean Water Act (CWA)
requirements. To further assist the effort the recommendation
provides $2,000,000 for grants to establish a pilot program for
the development and implementation of the Integrated Municipal
Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework. EPA
shall use these funds to provide financial and technical
assistance in the development of integrated plans that address
the environmental obligations of the applicant. The
Administrator should select two to three publicly-owned
treatment works, municipal separate storm sewer systems, or
units of local government in each Region, ensuring geographic
and size distribution in selection. If an inadequate number of
viable projects exist in one Region, EPA may select additional
projects in another Region. The Committee directs EPA to (1)
notify Congress once pilot communities are selected, (2) submit
a progress report to Congress within 12 months of the date of
enactment of this Act on implementation, outlining specific
outcomes expected to be achieved that will reduce Clean Water
Act-related and other environmental-related compliance costs
for these entities, and (3) submit a final report to Congress
once all integrated plans developed under this approach are
approved. The final report should include an assessment of
potential regulatory and statutory reforms that can support
greater flexibility with compliance obligations, including
integrating and/or extending permit terms under the National
Pollution Discharge Elimination System Program. The funds
awarded to communities shall be on a 50 percent cost-share
basis.
Additional Guidance.--The Committee has included the
following additional guidance with respect to funding provided
under this account.
Administrator Priorities.--The Committee notes that EPA's
Congressional Justification does not identify funds set aside
for Administrator priorities as directed in Division G of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. Therefore, no funds have
been provided, as requested. EPA is directed to submit a report
within 90 days of enactment of this Act that identifies how any
fiscal year 2013 and 2014 funding was used, by account, program
area, and program project. Each activity funded should include
a justification for the effort and any anticipated results.
Antimicrobial Solutions for Citrus Disease.--The Committee
recognizes the importance of antimicrobial crop protection
tools in combating citrus greening and encourages EPA,
especially the Office of Pesticide Programs, to cooperate with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Multi-Agency Coordination
(MAC) Group for Huanglongbing (HLB) to expedite and support the
development, review, and registration of antimicrobial
compounds that may lead to a treatment and cure for infected
trees.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.--The Committee continues to
encourage EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention to work collaboratively with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and State partners to expeditiously approve a
control program for the brown marmorated stink bug as soon as
the appropriate agents are evaluated for release.
Composite Wood Products.--The Formaldehyde Standards for
Composite-Wood Products Act directed EPA to develop a national
standard for formaldehyde emissions that replicates the
California regulations. The Committee urges EPA to finalize a
rule on the national formaldehyde standard for composite wood
products that is consistent with the California regulations for
laminated products and consistent with the intent of the 2010
Act.
Conflicts of Interest.--The Committee continues to be
concerned that clear and consistent conflict-of-interest rules
may not be applied uniformly to the members of EPA's Science
Advisory Boards. Further EPA's process for selecting
independent scientific advisors may unnecessarily exclude
state, local, private sector and tribal experts in a manner
that does not allow for a balanced panel of experts. The
Committee finds an update to EPA's conflict of interest policy,
policy for committee composition and balance, and eligibility
requirements for service on the Science Advisory Boards is
warranted. EPA's policies should include not less than 10
percent of membership from States and Tribes who are often
underrepresented as noted in the May 2014 National Academy of
Sciences review of EPA's IRIS program. EPA policies should
include an evaluation of potential bias based on receipt of
former and current federal grants or public statements or
positions as well as other appropriate safeguards to ensure
balance amongst SAB and other advisory board experts.
Additionally, EPA shall provide the Committees on
Appropriations and the appropriate authorizing committees with
updated policies and procedures regarding the establishment,
selection of members and avoidance of conflicts-of-interest of
the Science Advisory Boards no later than one year following
the date of enactment of this Act.
Consent Decree.--The Committee acknowledges recent efforts
made to reduce discharges into Lake Michigan by the S.S. Badger
as part of a consent decree with the Federal government. The
consent decree required the cessation of discharges by 2015. To
ensure that all parties remain vigilant in the management of
the consent decree, the Committee directs EPA to submit a
report that details actions taken since the initiation of the
consent decree and a timeline detailing future actions to
ensure the S.S. Badger meets the discharge mandate of the
agreement. The report is due to the Committee on Appropriations
no later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
Design for the Environment (DfE).--EPA shall ensure that
the baseline for all current DfE alternatives assessments, and
any future DfE alternatives assessments, includes a dose
response, exposure and lifecycle impact assessment in order to
arrive at a characterization and calculation of risk and
environmental impact across product lifecycle. The Committee
requires that alternative or replacement chemicals also adhere
to the same methodology, and EPA shall also integrate these
elements into all other DfE program operations, including the
labeling/certification program. e-Enterprise Initiative.--The
Committee understands that EPA and the States have established
a joint governance structure in order to modernize and
streamline operations over a multi-year period. The Committee
principally supports proposals that mitigate operational costs
for EPA, increase efficiencies for States and reduce burden for
the regulated community. Given the scope of the proposed
Initiative, multi-year cost estimates are necessary to inform
decisions that will require appropriations over multiple fiscal
years. Further, while the benefits of some proposals are well
documented, estimates of burden reduction or other efficiencies
for several proposed projects are largely unknown. Therefore,
to support the fiscal year 2015 request, the Agency is directed
to submit a multi-year plan to the Committee that includes
outyear cost estimates for the proposals in the Initiative
along with known, quantifiable estimates of efficiencies or
savings. The Committee will continue to evaluate information as
it is supplied.
E15 outreach.--The Committee is aware of the potential for
consumers to misfuel with E15 and higher ethanol grades of
gasoline in engines not designed, approved, or warranted to use
blends above 10 percent ethanol content (E10). Misfueling can
damage engines, void product warranties, and result in undue
economic loss to consumers. The Committee, therefore,
encourages EPA to utilize general funds to establish and
implement public educational outreach for proper and EPA-
approved usage of 15 percent by volume ethanol blended gasoline
in accordance with the Misfueling Mitigation Program.
Pending herbicide registrations.--The Committee is aware
that EPA will soon reevaluate existing registrations for
herbicides that may not actively degrade until long after their
intended use. As EPA reviews the registrations for these
products, the Committee encourages EPA to explore options for
limiting indirect impacts on other industries, including
strengthened labeling, disclosure, and support for additional
education of primary users of these products.
Social Cost of Carbon.--The Committee understands that the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) is currently reviewing
the process the Administration used to develop estimates to
calculate the social cost of carbon. The Committee believes
that the Administration should not allow any regulations to be
finalized using the Technical Support Document: Technical
Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact
Analysis Under Executive Order 12866, Interagency Working Group
on Social Cost of Carbon, United States Government, May 2013
until public comments on the document have been evaluated, the
GAO report has been submitted and reviewed, and any necessary
changes to the technical support document are incorporated.
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Fund
This account supports all activities necessary for the
development of the system established by the Hazardous Waste
Electronic Manifest Establishment Act (P.L. 112-195).
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,674,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 10,423,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 5,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +1,326,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -5,423,000
The Committee recommends $5,000,000 for the development of
an electronic manifest system pursuant to P.L. 112-195. The
Committee directs EPA to move forward expeditiously with system
development. Further the Committee directs EPA to work with the
appropriate Committees to extend the authorization for
appropriations beyond fiscal year 2015, and to provide a robust
justification for any costs that exceed the amounts
appropriated through fiscal year 2015.
Office of Inspector General
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides audit,
evaluation, and investigation products and advisory services to
improve the performance and integrity of EPA programs and
operations. The Inspector General (IG) will continue to perform
the function of IG for the Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board. This account funds personnel compensation
and benefits, travel, and expenses (excluding rent, utilities,
and security costs) for the Office of Inspector General. In
addition to the funds provided under this heading, this account
receives funds from the Hazardous Substance Superfund account.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $41,849,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 46,130,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 40,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,849,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -6,130,000
The bill provides $40,000,000, which is $1,849,000 below
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $6,130,000 below the
budget request. In addition, the Committee recommends
$9,939,000 as a payment to this account from the Hazardous
Substance Superfund account. The Inspector General is directed
to prioritize funds to projects that prevent and detect fraud,
waste and abuse at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Buildings and Facilities
The Buildings and Facilities account provides for the
design and construction of EPA-owned facilities as well as for
the repair, extension, alteration, and improvement of
facilities used by the Agency. The funds are used to correct
unsafe conditions, protect health and safety of employees and
Agency visitors, and prevent deterioration of structures and
equipment.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $34,467,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 53,507,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 34,467,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -19,040,000
The bill provides $34,467,000, equal to the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $19,040,000 below the budget request.
The Committee supports proposed projects that will reduce
Agency operational and rent costs. EPA should prioritize
projects based on anticipated cost savings and allocate funds
accordingly. The Committee does not include requested funding
for the design and engineering of new lab space in Las Vegas.
EPA and Congress should review the findings of the ongoing lab
study prior to proposing major changes to EPA's laboratory
footprint.
Hazardous Substance Superfund
The Hazardous Substance Superfund (Superfund) program was
established in 1980 by the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act to clean up emergency
hazardous materials, spills, and dangerous, uncontrolled, and/
or abandoned hazardous waste sites. The Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act (SARA) expanded the program
substantially in 1986, authorizing approximately $8,500,000,000
in revenues over five years. In 1990, the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act extended the program's authorization through
1994 for $5,100,000,000 with taxing authority through calendar
year 1995.
The Superfund program is operated by EPA subject to annual
appropriations from a dedicated trust fund and from general
revenues. Enforcement activities are used to identify and
induce parties responsible for hazardous waste problems to
undertake cleanup actions and pay for EPA oversight of those
actions. In addition, responsible parties have been required to
cover the cost of fund-financed removal and remedial actions
undertaken at spills and waste sites by Federal and State
agencies. Funds are paid from this account to the Office of
Inspector General and Science and Technology accounts for
Superfund related activities.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $1,088,769,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 1,156,603,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 1,156,603,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +67,834,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The bill provides $1,156,603,000 for the Hazardous
Substance Superfund program, $67,834,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
Superfund Cleanup.--The Committee recommends $781,369,000.
While the Committee understands this increase is insufficient
to eliminate the backlog of 10-15 unfunded new starts
anticipated for fiscal year 2015, the Committee expects the
Agency to use the additional funds to initiate remediation at
these highly contaminated, orphan sites. Further the Committee
expects the additional funding will also support pipeline
activities such as remedial investigations, feasibility
studies, and remedial designs which are critical steps prior to
construction. The Committee continues to support EPA's added
financial and project management efforts that enable the Agency
to de-obligate unused funds from sites and redirect those funds
to new construction projects.
Additional Guidance.--The Committee has included the
following additional guidance with respect to funding provided
under this account:
Financial Assurance.--The Committee directs the
Administrator to complete a thorough analysis of the capacity
of the financial and credit markets to provide the necessary
instruments (surety bonds, letters of credit, insurance, and
trusts) for meeting any new financial responsibility
requirements pursuant to section 108(b) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(42 U.S.C. 9608(b)). The Committee provides no funds for EPA to
develop, propose, finalize, implement, enforce, or administer
any regulation that would establish any such new financial
responsibility requirements until the Administrator
demonstrates that such an analysis has been completed.
Lead at Superfund sites.--Using the funds provided, the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall
contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a
study of the sources of lead in the environment at each
designated Superfund site that is proximal to a historic
surface lead mining district. The study shall focus on whether
naturally occurring lead, lead-based paint, and the consumer
use of products containing lead are significant sources of lead
at such sites. The Administrator shall transmit to Congress a
report containing the results of the study not later than one
year after the date of enactment of this Act.
Superfund Special Accounts.--The Committee is encouraged by
the steps EPA has taken toward the effective, centralized
management of Superfund special accounts. The Committee
appreciates the information included as part of the
Congressional Justification with respect to Superfund Special
Accounts and requests that EPA continue to provide the
information as part of the budget request.
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by
the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, authorized
the establishment of a response program for cleanup of releases
from leaking underground storage tanks. Owners and operators of
facilities with underground tanks must demonstrate financial
responsibility and bear initial responsibility for cleanup. The
Federal trust fund is funded through the imposition of a motor
fuel tax of one-tenth of a cent per gallon.
In addition to State resources, the Leaking Underground
Storage Tanks (LUST) Trust Fund provides funding to clean up
sites, enforces necessary corrective actions, and recovers
costs expended from the Fund for cleanup activities. The
underground storage tank response program is designed to
operate primarily through cooperative agreements with States.
Funds are also used for grants to non-State entities, including
Indian Tribes, under Section 8001 of the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 expanded the
authorized activities of the Fund to include the underground
storage tank program. In 2006, Congress amended section 9508 of
the Internal Revenue Code to authorize expenditures from the
trust fund for prevention and inspection activities.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $94,566,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 97,922,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 95,647,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +1,081,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -2,275,000
The bill provides $95,647,000 for the Leaking Underground
Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund Program, $1,081,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $2,275,000 below the budget
request.
Inland Oil Spill Programs
This appropriation, authorized by the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of
1990, provides funds to prepare for and prevent releases of oil
and other petroleum products in navigable waterways. In
addition, EPA is reimbursed for incident specific response
costs through the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund managed by the
United States Coast Guard.
EPA is responsible for directing all cleanup and removal
activities posing a threat to public health and the
environment; conducting site inspections; providing a means to
achieve cleanup activities by private parties; reviewing
containment plans at facilities; reviewing area contingency
plans; pursuing cost recovery of fund-financed cleanups; and
conducting research of oil cleanup techniques. Funds for this
appropriation are provided through the Oil Spill Liability
Trust Fund which is composed of fees and collections made
through provisions of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the
Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act, the
Deepwater Port Act of 1974, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act Amendments of 1978, and the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act, as amended. Pursuant to law, the Trust Fund is managed by
the United States Coast Guard.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $18,209,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 24,133,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 17,944,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -265,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -6,189,000
The bill provides $17,944,000 for the Inland Oil Spill
program, $265,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$6,189,000 below the budget request.
State and Tribal Assistance Grants
The State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account
provides grant funds for programs operated primarily by State,
local, tribal and other governmental partners. The account
includes two broad types of funds: (1) Infrastructure
Assistance, which is used primarily by local governments for
projects supporting environmental protection; and, (2)
Categorical Grants, which assist State and tribal governments
and other environmental partners with the operation of
environmental programs. The account also includes specific
program grants such as competitive Brownfields grants and
diesel emissions reduction grants.
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, Brownfields revitalization projects, diesel emission
reduction grants, and other targeted infrastructure projects.
The State Revolving Funds (SRFs) provide Federal financial
assistance to protect the Nation's water resources. The Clean
Water SRF helps eliminate municipal discharge of untreated or
inadequately treated pollutants and thereby helps maintain or
restore the country's water to a swimmable and/or fishable
quality. The Clean Water SRF provides resources for municipal,
inter-municipal, State, and interstate agencies and tribal
governments to plan, design, and construct wastewater
facilities and other projects, including non-point source,
estuary, stormwater, and sewer overflow projects. The Safe
Drinking Water SRF finances improvements to community water
systems so that they can achieve compliance with the mandates
of the Safe Drinking Water Act and continue to protect public
health.
Many of the major Federal environmental statutes include
provisions that allow the Federal government, through EPA, to
delegate to the States and Tribes the day-to-day management of
environmental programs or to approve State and Tribal
environmental programs. The Federal statutes were designed to
recognize the States as partners and co-regulators, allowing
the States to issue and enforce permits, carry out inspections
and monitoring, and collect data. To assist the States in this
task, the statutes also authorized EPA to provide grants to the
States and Tribes. These grants, which cover every major aspect
of environmental protection, include those programs authorized
by sections 319 and 106 of the Clean Water Act (Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, as amended) (for non-point source
pollution and the water quality permits programs), sections 105
and 103 of the Clean Air Act (for State and Local air quality
management programs), section 128 of CERCLA (for State and
tribal response programs), section 1443(a) of the Safe Drinking
Water Act (for public water system supervision), and section
3011 of RCRA (for the implementation of State hazardous waste
programs).
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,535,161,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 3,005,374,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,951,895,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -583,266,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -53,479,000
The bill provides $2,951,895,000 for the State and Tribal
Assistance Grants account, $583,266,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $53,479,000 below the budget request.
The Committee provides the following additional detail by
program area:
Infrastructure Assistance.--The bill provides
$1,905,000,000, which is $575,783,000 below the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $30,000,000 above the budget request.
The Committee has appropriated nearly $22 billion for water
and wastewater infrastructure assistance since 2009. The
Committee notes that $6 billion is available for drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure projects in fiscal year 2014 from
appropriated funds, state match contributions, loan repayments
and interest. Nevertheless, little progress has been made to
reduce the known water infrastructure gap. The Committee
believes that EPA and the States must aggressively allocate
existing funds to projects in order to address the pressing
infrastructure needs facing the country. In addition, the
Committee continues to encourage EPA and water infrastructure
stakeholders to promote alternate financing mechanisms for
water infrastructure at local, State and Federal levels as it
is widely accepted that Federal financing through the State
Revolving Funds remains an important yet insufficient tool to
address the Nation's water needs. Public-private partnerships,
greater access to financing from private activity bonds and
improved asset management are just a few of the mechanisms that
the Committee believes could serve to increase investment in a
complementary way to Federal appropriations and reduce costs.
In addition, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act
of 2014 (WRRDA) provides EPA with new and updated authorities
including the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
of 2014 (WIFIA). The Committee recognizes that these new
authorities will require resources prior to implementation, and
EPA is directed to submit to the Committee a detailed plan for
how full funding of the WIFIA provisions would be implemented.
This plan shall discuss all aspects of implementation,
including Agency personnel and expertise needs; types of
eligible projects; criteria for selecting specific projects for
financing; the steps and general schedule of a potential
application process; and expected administrative costs. The
Committee appreciates that EPA has initiated discussions with
other programs with similar authorities, and EPA should consult
with the Government Accountability Office and other federal
agencies in order to build upon the experience from other
federal loan and loan guarantee programs.
The Committee continues bill language to allow EPA and the
States to provide additional forms of subsidy to those
communities which cannot afford the below market rates provided
by an SRF loan.
The Committee has a history of including a provision
affording a procurement preference for iron and steel products
produced in the United States in projects receiving funds from
the State revolving fund or, now, the Water Infrastructure
Finance and Innovation Act. The Committee emphasizes that the
key consideration in determining eligibility for the preference
is the location of the melting and casting of the iron and
steel products and the iron and steel components of such
products, which must occur in the United States. Any processes,
including vulcanization processes, that merely append rubber
elements to iron and steel components of such iron and steel
products, which occurs outside the United States, should not
render such products ineligible for the procurement preference
provided that all such iron and steel components of iron and
steel products were melted and cast in the United States and
final assembly of the products occurs in the United States.
Diesel Emissions Reductions Grants (DERA).--The bill
provides $30,000,000 for DERA grants. The Committee notes that
the DERA program is the only EPA air program that has been
reauthorized by Congress, and at least 10 million older heavily
polluting diesel engines remain in use that have yet to be
retrofitted, repowered or replaced. Further, according to the
Second Report to Congress, approximately 70 percent of
competitive projects have occurred in areas of non-attainment
for particulate matter and ozone. For fiscal year 2015, the
Committee directs EPA to continue to make at least 70 percent
of DERA grants available to improve air quality in non-
attainment areas.
Targeted Airshed Grants.--The bill provides $10,000,000 for
targeted airshed grants to reduce air pollution in non-
attainment areas. These grants shall be distributed on a
competitive basis to non-attainment areas that EPA determines
are ranked as the top five most polluted areas relative to
annual ozone or particulate matter 2.5 standards. To determine
these areas, the Agency shall use the most recent design values
calculated from validated air quality data. The Committee notes
that these funds are available for emission reduction
activities deemed necessary for compliance with national
ambient air quality standards and included in a State
Implementation Plan submitted to EPA.
Categorical Grants.--For categorical grants to States and
other environmental partners for the implementation of
delegated programs, the bill provides $1,046,895,000. The
Committee continues to reject the proposed elimination of the
radon grants and, as such, funds are provided at the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level.
Administrative Provisions
(INCLUDING TRANSFER AND RESCISSION OF FUNDS)
The Committee continues the language, carried in prior
years, concerning Tribal Cooperative Authority, the collection
and obligation of pesticides fees, and additional transfer
authorities for the purposes of implementing the Great Lakes
Restoration Initiative.
The Committee rescinds $45,000,000 of unobligated grant
balances. The Agency is not to include unobligated balances
from prior year special project infrastructure grants as part
of the rescission.
The Committee has included bill language authorizing up to
$150,000 to be spent for facility repairs at any one time.
The Committee has included bill language extending special
pay authority.
TITLE III--RELATED AGENCIES
Department of Agriculture
FOREST SERVICE
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. The Forest Service administers a wide variety
of programs, including forest and rangeland research, State and
private forestry assistance, cooperative forest health
programs, an international program, National Forest System, and
wildland fire management. The National Forest System (NFS)
includes 155 national forests, 20 National grasslands, 20
National recreation areas, a National Tallgrass prairie, six
National monuments, and six land utilization projects. The NFS
is managed for multiple uses, beginning with wood, water and
forage, and expanded under the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act
to include recreation, grazing, fish and wildlife habitat
management. The Forest Service celebrated its centennial in
2005.
FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $292,805,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 275,315,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 297,500,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +4,695,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +22,185,000
The Committee recommends $297,500,000 for Forest and
Rangeland Research, $4,695,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and $22,185,000 above the budget request. The
Committee understands the importance of the strategic program
and priority research areas funded through Forest and Rangeland
Research in order to improve the health, management, and use of
the 193 million acres of national forests and rangelands. The
Committee believes the Forest Service must make significant
investments in research and development in order to inform best
management practices for public and private land managers and
encourages the agency to continue robust funding for these
activities in future budget requests.
Forest Inventory and Analysis.--The Committee recommends
$70,000,000 for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
program, $3,195,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and the budget request. The Committee finds that State forestry
agencies and their cooperators are often able to accomplish
critical FIA work with equal quality at lower costs than the
Forest Service. The Forest Service is directed to work with
State foresters to identify ways to more efficiently deliver
the program in all States, including timely inventory updates,
and should explore opportunities to work with additional State
forestry agencies and their cooperators who can accomplish
necessary field work at lower cost.
Invasive Species.--The Committee is concerned about the
threat of invasive forest pests and understands that millions
of acres of our nation's forests are at risk of being overtaken
by these pests. The Forest Service is in a unique position to
mitigate this threat. The Committee therefore directs the
Forest Service to provide the Committees on Appropriations with
a report, detailing its work to eradicate and/or mitigate this
threat.
Forest Products Laboratory.--The Committee remains
concerned about the increasing costs of forest management,
hazardous fuels reduction, and forest restoration, and
encourages a high priority focus on strategies to grow markets
to offset or alleviate this additional cost. The Committee
believes green building markets are a growing opportunity for
American-grown wood, and urges the Forest Service to work
further, through science and technology in the Forest Products
Laboratory, to position wood as a green building material and
improve the performance and affordability of wood framed
construction.
The Committee encourages the Forest Service to broaden its
scope of research to include improvement in forest products
evaluation standards and valuation techniques; forester
products conversation and manufacturing efficiency,
productivity, and profitability over the long term; lumber
quality and value based on forest management techniques; non-
timber forest products; and exploring the unique properties of
wood on the nanoscale.
Urban Forest Research.--The Committee urges the Forest
Service to provide strong support for urban forest research
initiatives, related social and socio-economic research, and
cooperative activities that help cities monitor and care for
their urban forests. As the United States faces increasing
urbanization over the next 50 years and urban ecosystems face a
multitude of threats, it is imperative that urban forestry
research remains a high priority of the Forest Service and
continues to help our cities, towns and metropolitan areas
become more livable and sustainable. The Committee directs the
Forest Service to provide critical information and tools,
including inventories of urban forests, to help cities, towns,
and metropolitan areas systematically assess the health and
changing conditions of their urban forests and to plan
strategic actions to sustainably maintain these forests.
Bighorn Sheep Research.--The Committee directs the Forest
Service to work diligently with the Agricultural Research
Service (ARS) in the development of scientifically defensible
analyses, specifically on the probability of sufficient contact
for pathogen transmission and, if there is transmission, the
probability of disease and spread of the disease to the herd in
the wild. The Committee is not convinced that this important
step was thoroughly addressed in the Payette National Forest's
Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision
announced on July 28, 2010, and further directs the Forest
Service to cooperate fully with the ARS in a review of the risk
analysis and assessment portions in that decision, with the
objective of assuring a more defensible and sound basis for
future decisions in other parts of the West where there are
bighorn and domestic sheep conflicts. The Committee directs the
Forest Service to brief the Committee on its progress every six
months.
STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $229,980,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 229,485,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 209,815,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -20,165,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -19,670,000
The Committee recommends $209,815,000 for State and Private
Forestry, $20,165,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $19,670,000 below the budget request.
Landscape Scale Restoration.--The Committee recommends
continuation of this line item that was established in fiscal
year 2014 at the enacted level of $14,000,000. The Committee
supports continuing to use the majority of these resources for
inter-state competitive processes. The Committee recommends
these competitive projects address national priorities of
concern and encourages application in priority landscapes as
identified in State Forest Action Plans, producing measurable
economic, ecological and social benefits. The Department is
directed to report back to the Committee within 90 days of
enactment of this Act on the progress made during the first
year of implementation and projections for the coming year.
Forest Health Management.--The Committee recommends
$104,577,000 for Forest Health Management, equal to the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and the budget request.
The Committee is aware of the concern over invasive winter
moth outbreaks and the damaging hardwood tree defoliation that
can occur as a result. The Committee commends the Forest
Service for its partnership with the Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service in addressing winter moth and the research
being done to address these outbreaks, in addition to its
cooperation with State and local partners in affected
communities.
Forest Stewardship Program.--The Committee recommends
$29,000,000 for the Forest Stewardship Program, $6,602,000
above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $5,964,000 above
the budget request.
The Tribal Forest Protection Act (Public Law 108-278)
authorizes the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to
give special consideration to tribally-proposed Stewardship
Contracting or other projects on Forest Service or Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) land bordering or adjacent to Indian
trust land in order to protect Indian trust resources from
fire, disease, or other threats coming off of Forest Service or
BLM land. These stewardship agreements are an important tool
for fighting the ever-growing threat of wildfires in the West.
The Committee encourages both the Department of Agriculture and
the Department of the Interior to make wider use of these
agreements.
The Committee supports efforts of the Forest Stewardship
Program to engage woodland owners, especially those that have
not previously been engaged in active forest management and
conservation. The Committee believes the program could have a
more demonstrated impact and that State forest agencies could
more efficiently deliver the program with the use of new tools
and approaches to engaging woodland owners and tracking
progress and impact over time. The Committee also believes that
Forest Action Plans provide an important framework for focusing
work with landowners, given the limited resources available.
The Committee urges the Forest Service to report on improved
delivery of this program, applying new tools and approaches
that improve efficiency, as part of the fiscal year 2016 budget
justification.
The Committee understands that in the wake of the third-
largest wildfire in California history, the Forest Service has
identified 30,000 acres of land within the Stanislaus National
Forest that can be salvaged. Proceeds from salvage sales can
then be directed toward rehabilitation and restoration of the
affected lands; however, such salvage operations are only
economically beneficial if conducted in the immediate future,
as the value of the dead timber declines rapidly as time
passes. Therefore, the Committee urges the Forest Service to
move as expeditiously as possible through the process in order
to protect the salvage operations. Within 60 days of enactment
of this Act, the Committee expects a report from the Forest
Service on the progress being made with regard to salvage and
rehabilitation operations on the Stanislaus National Forest.
Forest Legacy.--The Committee recommends $24,198,000 for
Forest Legacy, $26,767,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $28,802,000 below the budget request, in order to
provide critical funding for higher priority human health,
public safety, and treaty obligations and responsibilities
throughout the bill. The amounts recommended by the Committee
compared with the budget estimates by activity are shown in the
table at the end of this report.
Community Forest and Open Space Conservation.--The
Committee recommends $2,000,000 for Community Forest and Open
Space Conservation, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $317,000 above the budget request.
Urban and Community Forestry.--The Committee recommends
$28,040,000 for Urban and Community, equal to the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $4,364,000 above the budget request.
International Forestry.--The Committee recommends
$8,000,000 for International Forestry, equal to the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $8,000,000 above the budget request.
The Committee is supportive of the International Program
and recognizes its successful work to advance international
trade for U.S. timber producers and forestry interests at
international policy deliberations, to protect the United
States from invasive species that threaten our forests, and to
recover U.S. migratory waterfowl in decline. International
Forestry enables experts from the Federal government to
participate in negotiations for trade agreements and assist
with forestry work abroad. This program plays a large role in
protecting the U.S. forest products industry by improving the
sustainability and legality of timber management overseas
thereby reducing the amount of underpriced and illegally
harvested timber on the world market. Much of the funding for
these activities is provided by other departments or agencies,
including the Department of State, the United States Trade
Representative, and the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $1,496,330,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 1,640,484,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 1,496,526,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +196,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -143,958,000
The Committee recommends $1,496,526,000 for the National
Forest System, $196,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $143,958,000 below the budget request.
Integrated Resource Restoration.--The Committee notes that
similar to fiscal years 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the budget
request includes a major restructuring in which several
programs are combined to form the Integrated Resource
Restoration (IRR) budget line. The fiscal year 2014 enacted
bill continued the proof of concept pilot established in the
fiscal year 2012 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
conference report, and directed the Forest Service to brief the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate on its IRR plan for fiscal year 2014. As a
result of that briefing, the Committee supports the
continuation of the pilot project. The Committee must see
demonstrable results from the program, including true
management efficiencies, tangible accomplishments, and
accountability prior to the consideration of expanding IRR
nationwide. Therefore, the Committee rejects the proposed
restructuring and continues funding for the individual budget
line items as in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014.
Land Management Planning, Inventory and Monitoring.--The
Committee recommends $37,754,000 for Land Management Planning
and $151,019,000 for Inventory and Monitoring equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted levels. The Committee does not accept
the proposed merging of the Land Management Planning and
Inventory and Monitoring line items.
The Committee urges the Forest Service, Region V to
complete Invasive Species Management National Environmental
Policy Act analysis and to implement integrated pest management
methods to control invasive weeds in all national forests in
Region V.
The Committee is concerned about travel management plans on
some national forests, though it notes that many national
forests have completed plans with few problems. The Committee
has been informed by several communities that travel management
plans did not properly include public and community input and
needs. Where communities are dissatisfied with travel
management plans, the Committee directs the Forest Service to
revise these plans in consultation with, and to include more
input from, the communities. The Committee also directs the
Forest Service to conduct studies on the social, cultural and
economic impact of travel management planning on the local
community, and get local county approval of the analysis prior
to moving forward with travel management plans.
The Committee retains language in Title IV General
Provisions, Section 408, allowing forest management plans to
expire if the Service has made a good faith effort to update
plans commensurate with appropriated funds.
Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness.--The Committee
recommends $263,915,000 for Recreation, Heritage and
Wilderness, $2,196,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $4,825,000 above the budget request. Of the funds available
to Manage Recreation Operations, $500,000 shall be for the
maintenance of rural airstrips. The Committee urges the Service
to consult with Congress, State and local officials, and
affected stakeholders, prior to making a determination to close
or terminate the use of any rural airstrips. The bill includes
a general provision in Title IV prohibiting the use of funds to
close areas open to recreational hunting and shooting as of
January 1, 2013.
Grazing Management.--The Committee recommends $55,356,000
for Grazing Management, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $5,756,000 above the budget request. The Committee
rejects the proposed fee of $1 per animal unit month.
The Committee includes bill language addressing range
management in Title IV General Provisions (applying to both the
Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service) including
Section 412 which makes permanent the grazing permit renewal
general provision carried each year allowing permits to be
renewed under the same terms and conditions if NEPA review has
not yet been completed; Section 428 allowing the maximum term
of a grazing permit to be 20 years; Section 437 making vacant
allotments available for permittees adversely impacted by
wildland fire or drought; and, Section 438 prohibiting the
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management from requiring
relinquishment of all or a portion of water rights as a
condition for permit renewals (this includes all permits issued
by the Bureau and the Forest Service and is not limited to
grazing permits).
The Committee encourages the Forest Service to improve its
monitoring of grazing permits in allotments where riparian
streamside health is a concern for listed or threatened
species. The Committee also requests each Forest Service region
increase transparency and reporting on how the limited
monitoring resources are used on the ground whether to satisfy
the monitoring requirements or for other purposes.
Forest Products.--The Committee recommends $339,130,000 for
Forest Products, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.
The Committee rejects the proposal to consolidate this budget
line into the Integrated Resource Restoration program.
The Forest Service is currently removing less than ten
percent of the annual net growth on national forests. This,
combined with fire suppression policies, has resulted in
overcrowded, unhealthy forests susceptible to insects, disease
and catastrophic wildfire. To accomplish the monumental amount
of work necessary to improve the health of national forests and
protect communities from catastrophic wildfires, forest
products mills and logging infrastructure, where it still
exists, must be maintained. These businesses provide
significant living-wage jobs, many of which operate in rural
areas with higher levels of unemployment. Further, without this
infrastructure, the cost of treating national forests increases
dramatically and greatly reduces the amount of acres feasibly
treated with appropriated dollars.
The Committee believes improving implementation and
efficiency of timber sales is a vital component to forest
health. The budget request assumes 3.1 billion board feet of
timber volume will be sold in 2015. The Committee supports
targeting a higher board feet volume and encourages the Forest
Service to implement larger projects and reduce unit costs.
The Committee notes that over the last ten years the timber
supply in Region 10 has been constrained to less than ten
percent of the allowable sale quantity in the current land
management plan. As a result, numerous mills have closed. In an
effort to restore confidence in the timber supply and foster
and allow investment in new facilities, the Forest Service
pledged to prepare and offer four 10-year timber sales each
with a volume of 150-200 million board feet. The agency
recently converted the first two timber sales to smaller
stewardship projects. These projects will neither restore
confidence, nor will they allow investment in new facilities.
The Committee directs the Forest Service to prepare and offer,
within two years, the four 10-year timber sales as promised.
Vegetation and Watershed Management.--The Committee
recommends $184,716,000 for Vegetation and Watershed
Management, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The
Committee rejects the proposal to consolidate this budget line
into the Integrated Resource Restoration program.
Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management.--The Committee
recommends $140,466,000 for Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat
Management, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The
Committee rejects the proposal to consolidate this budget line
into the Integrated Resource Restoration program.
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund.--The
Committee recommends $40,000,000, for the Collaborative Forest
Landscape Restoration Fund (CFLR), equal to the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $20,000,000 below the budget request.
The Committee directs the Forest Service to report to the
Committee within 90 days of enactment of this Act on the
implementation of CFLR-funded projects and the outcomes of
those projects to date. The report should include performance
measures as described in the CFLR 2011 Annual Report
accomplishment form available on the Forest Service's website.
The Committee understands that there has been an observed
problem with red-oak decline in the Mark Twain National Forest,
that there has been controversy surrounding the use of
prescribed fires in this project area, and that some
commercially marketable timber may have been inadvertently
destroyed, or cut down and then set on fire.
As such, the Committee recommends that no funds shall be
used for prescribed fires under the Missouri Pine-Oak Woodlands
portion of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
project until such time as the aforementioned controversy is
resolved, and that funds used for timber sale contracts,
stewardship contracts, and understory thinning contracts
awarded under this program should be leveraged with combating
red-oak decline in mind.
Minerals and Geology Management.--The Committee recommends
$76,423,000 for Minerals and Geology Management, equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $5,857,000 above the budget
request.
Landownership Management.--The Committee recommends
$77,730,000 for Landownership Management, equal to the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $6,290,000 above the budget
request.
Law Enforcement Operations.--The Committee recommends
$126,653,000 for Law Enforcement Operations, equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $793,000 above the budget
request.
The Committee is concerned with the growing incidence of
illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands and the
corresponding impacts it has on the environment, forest
restoration and habitat, employee and public safety, tourism
and gateway communities. The Committee believes Forest Service
Law Enforcement and Investigations should be included as an
integral participant in the annual forest planning process as a
means to ensure stronger collaboration among all partners and
focused enforcement strategies aimed at safety, interdiction
and mitigation. No later than 90 days after enactment of this
Act, the Forest Service shall report to the Committee on steps
taken to include Law Enforcement and Investigations' in the
forest planning process as it relates to resources and
collaboration with partners, including local law enforcement.
Valles Caldera National Preserve.--The Committee recommends
$3,364,000 for management of the Valles Caldera National
Preserve and does not support the proposed elimination of this
program.
Bill Language.--The Committee includes additional language
in Title IV General Provisions including Section 425 extending
the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act for one year and
Section 431 prohibiting the use of appropriated funds to close
areas open to recreational hunting and shooting as of January
1, 2013.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $350,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 306,280,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 373,252,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +23,252,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +66,972,000
The Committee recommends $373,252,000 for Capital
Improvement and Maintenance, $23,252,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $66,972,000 above the budget request.
Facilities Maintenance and Construction.--The Committee
recommends $75,231,000 for Facilities Maintenance and
Construction, $4,231,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $3,631,000 above the budget request. Specifically,
the Committee recommends $59,000,000 for facilities maintenance
and $16,231,000 for facilities construction.
Road Maintenance and Construction.--The Committee
recommends $168,094,000 for Road Maintenance and Construction,
$2,094,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$14,094,000 above the budget request. Specifically, the
Committee recommends $143,454,000 for road maintenance and
$24,640,000 for road construction.
Should the Forest Service find it necessary within the
Gifford Pinchot National Forest, or any National Forest within
the State of Washington, to either reduce the roads to
maintenance level 1 or to decommission, the Forest Service
should give precedence to the reduction of the road to
Maintenance Level 1. Decommissioning should only be done after
final plantation restoration work in Late Successional Reserve
habitat development, or on a portion of road where resource
protection cannot be adequately met by closing and stabilizing.
Trails Maintenance and Construction.--The Committee
recommends $86,777,000 for Trails Maintenance and Construction,
$11,777,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$9,247,000 above the budget request. Specifically, the
Committee recommends $69,777,000 for trail maintenance and
$17,000,000 for trail construction.
Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement.--The
Committee recommends $3,150,000 for Deferred Maintenance and
Infrastructure Improvement, $150,000 above the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and equal to the budget request.
Legacy Roads and Trails.--The Committee recommends
$40,000,000 for Legacy Roads and Trails, $5,000,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The Committee rejects the
proposal to consolidate this budget line into the Integrated
Resource Restoration program.
LAND ACQUISITION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $43,525,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 51,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 8,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -35,525,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -43,000,000
The Committee recommends $8,000,000 for Land Acquisition,
$35,525,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$43,000,000 below the budget request in order to provide
critical funding for higher priority human health, public
safety, and treaty obligations and responsibilities throughout
the bill. The amounts recommended by the Committee compared
with the budget estimates by activity are shown in the table at
the end of this report.
The Committee directs the Forest Service to prioritize
recreational access projects that significantly enhance access
to existing public lands that are impractical to access for
hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities.
ACQUISITION OF LANDS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS SPECIAL ACTS
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $912,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 950,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 950,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +38,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $950,000 for Acquisition of Lands
for National Forests Special Acts, $38,000 above the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
ACQUISITION OF LANDS TO COMPLETE LAND EXCHANGES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $217,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 216,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 216,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $216,000 for Acquisition of Lands
to Complete Land Exchanges under the Act of December 4, 1967
(16 U.S.C. 484a), $1,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and equal to the budget request.
RANGE BETTERMENT FUND
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,320,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,320,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -680,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $2,320,000, for the Range
Betterment Fund, $680,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and equal to the budget request, to be derived from
grazing receipts from national forests (Public Law 94-579) and
to be used for range rehabilitation, protection, and
improvements including seeding, reseeding, fence construction,
weed control, water development, and fish and wildlife habitat
enhancement in 16 western States.
GIFTS, DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS FOR FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $40,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 45,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 45,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +5,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $45,000 for Gifts, Donations and
Bequests for Forest and Rangeland Research, $5,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL FOREST LANDS FOR SUBSISTENCE USES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,500,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 0
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,500,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +2,500,000
The Committee recommends $2,500,000 for the Management of
National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses in Alaska and does
not support the proposed elimination of this program.
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,762,302,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,265,113,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,888,124,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +125,822,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +623,011,000
The Committee recommends $2,888,124,000 for Wildland Fire
Management, $125,822,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and $623,011,000 above the budget request. The
Committee's funding recommendation for fire suppression,
combined with $303,060,000 recommended in the FLAME wildfire
suppression reserve account, fully funds the 10-year fire
suppression average expenditures for fire suppression. An
additional $470,000,000 in fire suppression funding is provided
to address projected suppression shortfalls during the 2014
fire season. Total funding provided in fiscal year 2015 for
Forest Service wildland fire accounts is $3,191,184,000.
The Committee notes that the budget request included a
provision almost identical to legislation that has been
developed in the House (H.R. 3992) and the Senate (S. 1875).
The budget request proposes to allow wildland fire suppression
costs above 70 percent of the 10-year average for fire
suppression to be paid from within the discretionary budget cap
adjustment established for natural disasters, recognizing that
wildland fires are a natural disaster akin to hurricanes,
tornadoes, and floods. As the issue of the disaster cap
adjustment falls outside the Committee's jurisdiction, this
Committee's recommendation does not include the request for
suppression funding through the disaster cap adjustment. As in
recent years, suppression operations are fully funded at the
10-year average level within the suppression operations account
and the FLAME wildfire suppression reserve fund.
The Committee is concerned that there may have been recent
instances in which requests for information related to
wildfires from Congressional, State and local government
offices were not met with a full disclosure of information. The
Committee expects the Forest Service to respond in a timely
manner to such requests, so as not to impede the oversight
responsibilities of Congressional committees, and State and
local government offices.
The Committee encourages the Forest Service to consider the
potential use of existing commercial satellite technology to
provide early warning, mitigation and response capabilities for
wildland fires and to determine whether such technology may
provide a low-cost early warning capability to save lives and
property.
Wildfire Preparedness.--The Committee recommends
$1,210,840,000 for Wildfire Preparedness, $153,260,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $130,000,000 above the
budget request. The Committee has provided an additional
$130,000,000 to the Forest Service for the acquisition of two
next generation platforms to safely and efficiently fight
wildfires.
Wildfire Suppression Operations.--The Committee recommends
$1,178,000,000 for Wildfire Suppression Operations,
$102,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$470,000,000 above the budget request. The Committee
recommendation fully meets the 10-year average expenditure on
all suppression activities and includes an additional
$470,000,000 for projected shortfalls in suppression funding
for fiscal year 2014.
Hazardous Fuels.--The Committee recommends $381,575,000 for
hazardous fuels reduction, $75,075,000 above the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and $23,011,000 above the budget request,
and includes $5,000,000 for biomass utilization grants. The
Committee recommends prioritizing funding for proactive
hazardous fuels management and fire mitigation.
The Department is directed to implement effective
treatments in frequent fire forests that restore forest
resiliency and reduce hazardous fuels. Treatments should be
placed to effectively modify fire behavior and protect assets
at risk including life and property.
The Committee is concerned with the pace of planning and
implementation of post-fire rehabilitation by the Forest
Service. The slow pace of rehabilitation leaves communities
unable to access timber resources and delays the regeneration
of Federal forests. The Committee directs the Forest Service to
prioritize and expedite planning and implementation of post-
fire rehabilitation projects.
The Committee directs the Forest Service to work
collaboratively with the Department of the Interior and other
stakeholders in developing hazardous fuels management plans
that take into consideration the conservation of sage-grouse
habitat and encourages the administration to seek additional
funding in fiscal year 2016 and subsequent fiscal years to
continue this concerted effort.
Fire Plan Research and Development.--The Committee
recommends $19,795,000 for Fire Plan Research and Development,
equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the budget
request. The Committee urges the Forest Service to further its
research into current wildland fire fighting operations and the
safety and health impacts of such operations on wildland fire
fighters.
Joint Fire Science Program.--The Committee recommends
$6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program, equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the budget request.
State Fire Assistance.--The Committee recommends
$78,000,000 for State Fire Assistance, equal to the fiscal year
2014 enacted level and the budget request.
Volunteer Fire Assistance.--The Committee recommends
$13,000,000 for Volunteer Fire Assistance, $25,000 below the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $315,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 0
Recommended, 2015..................................... 303,060,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -11,940,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +303,060,000
The Committee recommends $303,060,000 for the FLAME
Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund, $11,940,000 below the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $303,060,000 above the budget
request. As discussed above under Wildland Fire Management, the
Committee fully funds the 10-year average expenditure for
wildfire suppression.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, FOREST SERVICE
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
The Committee has included administrative provisions as
requested, unless otherwise stated below.
The Committee continues the administrative provision
regarding Wildland Fire Management and the FLAME Wildfire
Suppression Reserve Fund as included in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2014.
The Committee retains the administrative provision
regarding reprogramming authority.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Indian Health Service
The provision of Federal health services to Indians is
based on a relationship between Indian Tribes and the U.S.
Government first set forth in the 1830s by the U.S. Supreme
Court under Chief Justice John Marshall. Numerous treaties,
statutes, constitutional provisions, and international laws
have reconfirmed this relationship. Principal among these is
the Snyder Act of 1921, which provides the basic authority for
most Indian health services provided by the Federal Government
to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Indian Health
Service (IHS) provides direct health care services in 28
hospitals, 61 health centers, three school health centers, and
34 health stations. Tribes and tribal groups, through contracts
and compacts with the IHS, operate 17 hospitals, 249 health
centers, six school health centers, and 70 health stations
(including 164 Alaska Native village clinics).
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,982,842,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 4,172,182,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 4,180,386,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +197,544,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +8,204,000
The Committee recommends $4,180,386,000 for Indian Health
Services, $197,544,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $8,204,000 above the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report. The Committee recommendation includes
further details below.
Current Services and New Tribes.--The Committee recommends
$136,135,000 to maintain current levels of service, as
requested, of which $10,000,000 is to make up for cuts made in
fiscal year 2014 to fully fund contract support costs;
$61,239,000 is for medical inflationary costs due in part to an
increasing and aging population; $2,572,000 is to maintain
competitive salaries and benefits for healthcare professionals;
and $62,324,000 is for staffing new facilities as described in
further detail below. The Committee recommends $7,948,000 to
begin providing services to Tribes recently receiving Federal
recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as requested. The
breakout of current services and new Tribes increases by
program is consistent with Page CJ-10 of the budget request.
Staffing costs for new and expanded health care
facilities.--The Committee recommends $70,818,000 for staffing
costs for new and expanded health care facilities, of which
$62,324,000 is provided in this account as requested. Funds are
limited to facilities funded through the Health Care Facilities
Construction Priority System or the Joint Venture Construction
Program that are newly opened in fiscal year 2014 or that open
in fiscal year 2015. None of the funds may be allocated to a
facility until such facility has achieved beneficial occupancy
status.
Dental Services.--The Committee recommends $176,154,000 for
dental health services, $10,864,000 above the fiscal year 2014
operating plan and $500,000 above the budget request.
The Committee received testimony this year about an
initiative to increase preventive dental care for children by
bringing dentists and hygienists into elementary schools. The
Committee recommendation includes $500,000 to begin the
initiative and directs the Service to work with the Bureau of
Indian Education (BIE) and to consult with Tribes about
piloting the initiative in the BIE school system.
Several national health organizations recognize that the
Service needs additional health care providers and that the
Service has established volunteer programs to deliver needed
medical, dental and mental health care. Many more volunteers
could be recruited if the credentialing process were simplified
and centralized similar to the processes used by the
Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Such a system
would assure Tribes that the volunteers are in compliance with
State licensure and accreditation laws. Because IHS faces a
health care provider shortage of 1,500 professionals, the
Committee directs the Service to expeditiously convene a
meeting of interested Tribes and health care organizations to
design a pilot program to address credentialing problems and
report the results to the Committee within 180 days of the
enactment of this Act.
The Committee directs the Service to work towards
completion of electronic dental records (EDR) at the remaining
80 of 230 Federal and tribal dental sites. The Committee
recognizes that EDR will significantly improve the gathering of
data to analyze the early childhood caries program and
therefore result in cost savings.
Purchased/Referred Care (formerly Contract Health
Services).--The Committee recommends $929,041,000 for
Purchased/Referred Care as requested, $50,466,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level, of which $35,038,000 is to
maintain current levels of service and for newly recognized
Tribes, as discussed above.
The Committee recognizes that the Service and Tribes are
forced to prioritize care by Levels I-V and to ration funding
in this program because the needs outweigh available funds. The
Committee encourages the Service and Tribes to measure the
impacts of funding increases on the ability to provide care at
each level. Currently the program's only measurable goal stated
in the fiscal year 2015 budget request is, ``Average Days
between Service End and Purchase Order Issued,'' which is by
itself an insufficient program goal.
The Committee urges the Service, Tribes, and the
congressional authorizing committees to make reasonable and
expeditious progress to address the concerns and
recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO), most notably with regard to unfair allocations, third-
party overbilling, and under-enrollment in other qualifying
Federal programs.
The Committee urges the Service to work aggressively with
the relevant congressional authorizing committees to enact
authorization for the Service to cap payment rates for non-
hospital services, as recommended by the Government
Accountability Office (GAO-13-272). Failure to do so costs the
program an estimated $30 million annually that could be used to
purchase more services.
Eligibility.--The Committee recognizes the Federal
government's trust responsibility for providing healthcare for
American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Committee is aware
that the definition of who is an ``Indian'' is inconsistent
across various Federal health programs, which has led to
confusion, increased paperwork and even differing
determinations of health benefits within Indian families
themselves. The Committee therefore directs the Department of
Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service, and the
Department of the Treasury to work together to establish a
consistent definition of an ``Indian'' for purposes of
providing health benefits.
Urban Indian Health.--The Committee recommends $44,250,000
for the urban Indian health program, $3,521,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 operating plan and $2,875,000 above the budget
request. The Committee continues to support funding for urban
Indian health in light of the disparity in health funding for
urban Indians, as the Committee heard in testimony during the
fiscal year 2015 budget development process.
Indian Health Professions.--The Committee recommends
$48,342,000 for Indian Health Professions, $14,876,000 above
the fiscal year 2014 operating plan and $9,876,000 above the
budget request.
Within this amount, $30,023,000 is for the loan repayment
program which includes a $5,000,000 program increase above the
request and a $4,876,000 permanent transfer of loan repayment
base funding from Hospitals and Health Clinics so that loan
repayment funds are consolidated under one line item. Bill
language has been modified to reflect the total amount
appropriated for loan repayment, as opposed to previous
language allowing for ``up to $36,000,000'' which was
inconsistent with accompanying report language and thus a
flexibility that IHS never used.
Recruitment and retention of health care professionals is a
serious problem in the IHS system which the loan repayment
program helps to alleviate. In fiscal year 2013, IHS turned
away over 500 applicants for loan repayment due to limited
funds. While the recommended increases for fiscal year 2015
will help reduce vacancies, the Committee notes with concern
that unfair Federal tax liabilities consume 25 percent of the
funds. The Committee encourages efforts to extend fair tax
treatment of Federal scholarship and loan repayment programs to
IHS-funded programs so that appropriated funds can help more
applicants and further reduce vacancies. To that end, the
Committee notes that IHS collected $85.3 million from private
insurers in fiscal year 2013, which suggests that increased
costs to the government to hire more IHS professionals by
fairly adjusting the tax code are at least partially offset by
private collections as a result of services provided by those
newly-hired professionals. The Committee encourages IHS to re-
submit its legislative proposal with the fiscal year 2016
budget and to include defensible estimates of offsets via third
party collections.
Contract Support Costs.--The Committee recommendation
includes $617,205,000 as requested for full funding of
estimated contract support costs. The Committee expects IHS to
submit a reprogramming request to the Committee if the final
calculated contract support costs exceed this amount, in order
to ensure that contract support costs are fully paid. The
Committee recognizes that inconsistencies exist between Indian
Affairs and IHS in the ways that contract support costs are
estimated and managed, and encourages both the agencies and the
Tribes to recommend ways that the Committee can be helpful in
promoting consistency. Tribes that exercise their self-
determination rights and enter into contracts with multiple
Federal agencies shouldn't have to navigate inconsistent rules
across different agencies.
INDIAN HEALTH FACILITIES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $451,673,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 461,995,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 461,995,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +10,322,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $461,995,000 for Indian Health
Facilities, $10,322,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted
level and equal to the budget request. A detailed table of
funding recommendations below the account level is provided at
the end of this report. The Committee recommendation includes
further details below.
Current Services and New Tribes.--The Committee recommends
$10,255,000 to maintain current levels of service, as
requested, of which $1,761,000 is for medical inflationary
costs due in part to an increasing and aging population, and
$8,494,000 is for staffing new facilities as described in
further detail below. The Committee recommends $67,000 to begin
providing services to Tribes recently receiving Federal
recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as requested. The
breakout of current services and new Tribes increases by
program is consistent with Page CJ-10 of the budget request.
Staffing costs for new and expanded health care
facilities.--The Committee recommends $70,818,000 for staffing
costs for new and expanded health care facilities, of which
$8,494,000 is provided in this account as requested. The
stipulations included in the `Indian Health Services' account
regarding the allocation of funds for the staffing of new
facilities pertain to the funds in this account as well.
National Institutes of Health
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, an
agency within the National Institutes of Health, was authorized
in section 311(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 and in section 126(g)
of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to
conduct certain research and worker training activities
associated with the nation's Hazardous Substance Superfund
program.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $77,349,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 77,349,000
Recommended, 2015 77,349,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $77,349,000 for the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as requested. The
Committee urges the Institute to consider additional sources of
funding to recoup administrative costs associated with the
worker training program.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR), an agency in the Department of Health and Human
Services, was created in section 104(i) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) of 1980. The Agency's mission is to serve the public
through responsive public health actions to promote healthy and
safe environments and prevent harmful toxic exposures. ATSDR
assesses hazardous exposures in communities near toxic waste
sites and advises the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
other government agencies, community groups and industry
partners on actions needed to protect people's health. In
addition, ATSDR conducts toxicological and applied research to
support environmental assessments, supports health surveillance
systems and registries, develops and disseminates information
on hazardous substances, provides education and training on
hazardous exposures, and responds to environmental emergencies.
Through a national network of scientists and public health
practitioners in State health departments, regional EPA offices
and headquarters, ATSDR helps to protect people from acute
toxic exposures that occur from hazardous leaks and spills,
environment-related poisonings, and natural and terrorism-
related disasters.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $74,691,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 74,691,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 74,691,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $74,691,000 for the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as requested.
The recommendation supports the ongoing epidemiological studies
of health conditions caused by exposures to uranium released
from mining and milling operations in the Navajo Nation.
OTHER RELATED AGENCIES
Executive Office of the President
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) was established
by Congress under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA). The Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ), which
provides professional and administrative staff for the Council,
was established in the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of
1970. The Council on Environmental Quality has statutory
responsibility for overseeing Federal agency implementation of
the requirements of NEPA. CEQ also assists in coordinating
environmental programs among the Federal agencies in the
Executive Branch.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $3,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 3,009,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 3,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -9,000
The Committee recommends $3,000,000 for the Council on
Environmental Quality and Office of Environmental Quality,
equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $9,000 below
the budget request.
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is
an independent Federal agency charged with investigating
industrial chemical accidents. The board members are appointed
by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The CSB conducts
root-cause investigations of chemical accidents at fixed
industrial facilities. Root causes are usually deficiencies in
safety management systems, but can be any factor that would
have prevented the accident if that factor had not occurred.
Other accident causes often involve equipment failures, human
errors, unforeseen chemical reactions or other hazards. CSB
does not issue fines or citations, but does make
recommendations to plants, regulatory agencies such as the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
Environmental Protection Agency, industry organizations, and
labor groups. Congress designed the CSB to be non-regulatory
and independent of other agencies so that its investigations
might, where appropriate, review the effectiveness of
regulations and regulatory enforcement.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $11,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 12,253,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 11,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,253,000
The Committee recommends $11,000,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board,
equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $1,253,000
below the budget request.
The Committee is deeply concerned by the findings of the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) and two congressional
committees that identify critical management deficiencies, an
abusive and hostile work environment, and a significant backlog
of investigations within the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). The
GAO and Congressional committees have determined that these
failures are due in large part to the poor leadership and
mismanagement of the Chairman of the Board and other high-
ranking officials. While the Committee supports the critical
work of the CSB, the Committee believes that the CSB's overall
effectiveness is undermined by its present leadership and urges
the Administration to takes steps to address these failures as
expeditiously as possible.
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation was
established by Public Law 93-531 to plan and conduct relocation
activities associated with the settlement of a land dispute
between the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $7,341,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 8,499,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 7,143,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -198,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -1,356,000
The Committee recommends $7,143,000 for the Office of
Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation, $198,000 below the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $1,356,000 below the budget
request. Of this amount, $200,000 shall be transferred to the
Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General to
continue auditing the program. The priority of the remaining
funds shall be to build homes for those approved and awaiting
them.
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts
Development
PAYMENT TO THE INSTITUTE
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $9,369,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 11,469,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 9,469,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +100,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -2,000,000
The Committee recommends $9,469,000 in direct
appropriations for the Institute of American Indian and Alaska
Native Culture and Arts Development, $100,000 above the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $2,000,000 below the budget
request.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum
and research complex, with 19 museums and galleries, numerous
research centers, libraries, archives, and the National
Zoological Park. Funded by both private and Federal sources,
the Smithsonian is unique in the Federal establishment. Created
by an Act of Congress in 1846 to carry out the trust included
in James Smithson's will, it has been engaged for 168 years in
the ``increase and diffusion of knowledge.'' Last year, the
Smithsonian attracted over 30 million visits to its museums,
galleries, and zoological park. Additional millions also view
Smithsonian traveling exhibitions and participate in the annual
Folklife Festival on the National Mall. As custodian of the
National Collections, the Smithsonian is responsible for more
than 137 million art objects, natural history specimens, and
artifacts. These scientific and cultural collections are a
vital resource for global research and conservation efforts.
The collections are displayed for the enjoyment and education
of visitors and are available for research by the staff of the
Institution and by thousands of visiting students, scientists,
and historians each year.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $647,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 700,800,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 674,297,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +27,297,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -26,503,000
The Committee recommends $674,297,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the Smithsonian Institution, $27,297,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $26,503,000 below the budget
request.
Additional Guidance.--The following additional direction
and guidance is provided with respect to funding provided
within this account:
Collections Care.--The Committee maintains its longstanding
commitment to the preservation of priceless, irreplaceable
Smithsonian Institution collections and has provided funds, as
requested, for improving the stewardship of national
collections. The Committee directs the Smithsonian to provide
the Committee, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, a
progress report on the multi-year effort to improve the
stewardship of national collections, including the Armed Forces
History Collection, at the National Museum of American History.
Exhibit Maintenance.--The Committee has provided funding,
as requested, for exhibit maintenance and critical collections
needs at the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum
of Natural History, the National Zoological Park, and the
National Museum of American History which remain among the most
highly visited Smithsonian sites.
National Museum of African American History and Culture.--
The Committee maintains its support for the National Museum of
African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and recognizes
the need to address a number of funding priorities in advance
of the museum's opening in 2015.
Latino Programs, Exhibitions, Collections and Public
Outreach.--The Committee supports the Smithsonian Latino
Center's goal of promoting the inclusion of Latino
contributions in Smithsonian Institution programs, exhibitions,
collections and public outreach. The Committee urges
collaboration among interested parties to advance these goals
more fully by utilizing existing Smithsonian Institution museum
locations for the expansion of the Smithsonian Latino Center's
programming, exhibition and collection space.
Ocean Education and Research.--The Smithsonian is
encouraged to work with Executive Branch agencies, including
NOAA, and other relevant organizations to further education
related to America's oceans and to advance research in marine
science.
Science Education.--STEM education (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) is critical to our country's
capacity to innovate and better prepare our Nation's young
people for the high technology jobs of tomorrow. The Committee
concurs with concerns over the proliferation of Federal STEM
investments and programs across government. The need exists to
consolidate programs and significantly improve the level of
coordination and communication of STEM activities, budgets, and
achievements across the entire Federal government. The
Committee has not included additional requested funding for
STEM engagement believing funds should be directed to higher
priority needs within the Institution.
FACILITIES CAPITAL
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $158,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 150,100,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 139,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -19,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -11,100,000
The Committee recommends $139,000,000 for Facilities
Capital, $19,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and $11,100,000 below the budget request.
The Committee supports revitalization of Smithsonian
Institution facilities and the planning and design of future
projects. The Committee also supports and remains committed to
the construction of the congressionally authorized National
Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
Accordingly, the Committee recommends $24,010,000 to complete
construction of the NMAAHC. Federal funds provided for the
construction of the NMAAHC are being matched with private
funding on a one-to-one basis.
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is one of the world's great
galleries. Its magnificent works of art, displayed for the
benefit of millions of visitors annually, and its two iconic
buildings and sculpture garden, serve as an example of a
successful cooperative endeavor between private individuals and
institutions and the Federal Government. With the special
exhibitions shown in the Gallery, and through the many
exhibitions which travel across the country, the Gallery brings
great art treasures to Washington, DC, and to the Nation.
Through its educational and teacher training programs and its
website, the Gallery provides art history materials, rich
online educational materials, direct loans, and broadcast
programs to millions of Americans in every State.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $118,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 121,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 118,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -3,000,000
The Committee recommends $118,000,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the National Gallery of Art, equal to the fiscal
year 2014 enacted level and $3,000,000 below the budget
request.
Bill Language.--The Committee has included bill language,
as requested, specifying the amount provided for Special
Exhibitions.
REPAIR, RESTORATION AND RENOVATION OF BUILDINGS
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $15,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 19,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 19,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +4,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $19,000,000 for Repair,
Restoration and Renovation of buildings at the National Gallery
of Art, $4,000,000 above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
equal to the budget request. The Committee supports the
requested increase for the Master Facilities Plan which
includes critical fire and public safety improvements.
Bill Language.--The Committee has included bill language,
as requested, relating to lease agreements of no more than 10
years that addresses space needs created by ongoing renovations
in the Master Facilities Plan.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a
living memorial to the late President Kennedy and is the
National Center for the Performing Arts. The Center houses nine
stages and seven theaters which have a total of more than 7,300
seats. The Center consists of over 1.5 million square feet of
usable floor space with visitation averaging 8,000 on a daily
basis. The support systems in the building often operate at
capacity 18 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $22,193,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 22,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 22,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -193,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $22,000,000 for Operations and
Maintenance, as requested.
CAPITAL REPAIR AND RESTORATION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $12,205,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 10,800,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 10,800,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,405,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $10,800,000 for Capital Repair and
Restoration, as requested.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue to increase
understanding and enhance the capabilities and knowledge of
leaders, citizens, and institutions worldwide. The Center hosts
scholars and policy makers to do their own advanced study,
research and writing and facilitates debate and discussions
among scholars, public officials, journalists and business
leaders from across the country on relevant, major long-term
issues facing this Nation and the world.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $10,500,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 9,975,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 9,975,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -525,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $9,975,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, $525,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
equal to the budget request.
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
National Endowment for the Arts
GRANTS AND ADMINISTRATION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $146,021,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 146,021,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 146,021,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $146,021,000 for the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA), equal to the fiscal year 2014
enacted level and the budget request.
The Committee values greatly the longstanding collaborative
relationship between the NEA and the States. State Arts
Agencies support the arts for communities at the grassroots
level regardless of their geographic location, providing much
of their funding to smaller organizations, community groups,
and schools rather than well-established arts organizations.
The Committee remains committed to supporting proven
national initiatives with broad geographic reach. The Big Read,
Challenge America, and Shakespeare in American Communities are
among the cost-effective grant programs with broad, bipartisan
Congressional support that meet these criteria, supporting the
NEA's goal of extending the arts to underserved populations in
both urban and rural communities across the United States.
The Committee commends the NEA for its collaboration with
the Walter Reed National Military Center in creating the NEA/
Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership. Since 2011, this unique
partnership has supported creative and innovative arts
therapies for service members returning from Afghanistan and
Iraq. This collaborative relationship has also resulted in
clinical research to evaluate the potential health benefits of
creative arts therapy interventions for troops including
service members with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic
Stress.
Bill Language.--Each year, the Committee provides in bill
language specific guidelines under which the Endowment is
directed to distribute taxpayer dollars in support of the arts.
With the exception of established honorific programs, grant
funding to individual artists is strictly prohibited. The
Committee directs that priority be given to providing services
or grant funding for projects, productions, or programs that
encourage public knowledge, education, understanding, and
appreciation of the arts. Any reduction in support to the
States for arts education should be no more than proportional
to other funding decreases taken in other NEA programs.
Reforms originally instituted by the Committee in P.L. 108-
447 relating to grant guidelines and program priorities are
fully restated in Sections 415 and 416 of the bill. The
Committee expects the NEA to adhere to them fully. These
reforms maintain broad bipartisan support and continue to serve
well both the NEA and the public interest. The Committee has
also included bill language addressing grant award matching
requirements and waiver procedures contained in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014.
The Committee has, similar to previous years, included bill
language raising caps for the Federal insurance program for
loaned domestic and foreign works under the Arts and Artifacts
Indemnity Act.
National Endowment for the Humanities
GRANTS AND ADMINISTRATION (INCLUDING MATCHING GRANTS)
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $146,021,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 146,021,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 146,021,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends a total of $146,021,000 for the
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), equal to the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the budget request.
The Committee commends the NEH for its support of grant
programs to benefit Wounded Warriors and to ensure educational
opportunities for American heroes transitioning to civilian
life.
The Committee commends the NEH Federal/State Partnership
for its ongoing, successful collaboration with State humanities
councils in each of the 50 states as well as Washington, D.C.,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam,
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American
Samoa. Every NEH dollar received by a council is matched by a
local contribution. In recent years, the proportion of NEH
program funds supporting the work of State humanities councils
has grown to nearly 40 percent. The Committee urges the NEH to
provide program funding to support the work of State humanities
councils consistent with the guidance provided in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014.
Commission of Fine Arts
The Commission of Fine Arts was established in 1910 to
advise the government on matters pertaining to the design of
national symbols, and particularly to guide the architectural
development of Washington, D.C. The Commission's work includes
advice on designs for parks, public buildings, public art, as
well as the design of national monuments, coins and medals, and
overseas American military cemeteries. In addition, the
Commission conducts design reviews of semipublic and private
structures within the Old Georgetown Historic District and
within certain areas of the National Capital that are adjacent
to areas of Federal interest. The Commission reviews more than
600 projects annually. The Commission also administers the
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,396,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,524,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 2,524,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... +128,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $2,524,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the Commission of Fine Arts, $128,000 above the
fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the budget request.
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $2,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 0
Recommended, 2015..................................... 1,000,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. +1,000,000
The National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program was
established in Public Law 99-190 to support organizations that
perform, exhibit, and/or present the arts in the Nation's
Capital. The Committee recommends $1,000,000, which is
$1,000,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
$1,000,000 above the budget request.
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). The ACHP
was granted permanent authorization as part of the National
Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 2006 (Public Law 109-
453). The ACHP promotes the preservation, enhancement, and
productive use of our nation's historic resources and advises
the President and Congress on national historic preservation
policy.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $6,531,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 6,204,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 6,204,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -327,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $6,204,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
(ACHP), $327,000 below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and
equal to the budget request.
National Capital Planning Commission
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
The National Capital Planning Act of 1952 designated the
National Capital Planning Commission as the central planning
agency for the Federal government in the National Capital
Region. The three major functions of the Commission are to
prepare and adopt the Federal elements of the National Capital
Comprehensive Plan; prepare an annual report on a five-year
projection of the Federal Capital Improvement Program; and
review plans and proposals submitted to the Commission.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $8,084,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 7,948,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 7,948,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -136,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $7,948,000 for Salaries and
Expenses of the National Capital Planning Commission, $136,000
below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and equal to the
budget request.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
In 1980, Congress passed legislation creating a 65-member
Holocaust Memorial Council with the mandate to create and
oversee a living memorial/museum to victims of the Holocaust.
The museum opened in April 1993. Construction costs for the
museum came solely from donated funds raised by the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum Campaign, and appropriated funds were
used for planning and development of programmatic components,
overall administrative support, and annual commemorative
observances. Since the opening of the museum, appropriated
funds have been provided to pay for the ongoing operating costs
of the museum as authorized by Public Law 102-529 and Public
Law 106-292. Private funds support educational outreach
throughout the United States.
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $52,385,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 52,385,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 52,385,000
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. 0
The Committee recommends $52,385,000 for the Holocaust
Memorial Museum, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level
and the budget request.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission was created by
Congress in 1999 through Public Law 106-79 for the purpose of
establishing a permanent national memorial to Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe in
World War II and 34th President of the United States. The
Commission consists of 12 members, four members of the House of
Representatives, four Senators, and four private citizens
appointed by the President.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $1,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 2,000,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 0
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... -1,000,000
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -2,000,000
The bill does not include funding for the Salaries and
Expenses account. The Committee notes that in April, 2014 the
National Capital Planning Commission voted to reject the
memorial design even after modifications had been proposed by
the Eisenhower Commission. The lack of consensus on the
memorial design is troubling. The Committee urges the
authorizers of jurisdiction to work expeditiously on
legislation to authorize an open, public, and transparent
redesign process that is collaborative and involves the various
constituencies as partners including, but not limited to, the
Congress, the Eisenhower family, the Eisenhower Commission, the
National Park Service, the Commission on Fine Arts, and the
National Capitol Planning Commission.
In the interim, the Committee directs the Commission to
cease all expenditures relating to the current memorial design.
The Committee further directs that future monthly expenditures
by the Commission are limited to payroll, rent, utilities and
other fixed costs associated with essential daily operations of
the Commission only. Lastly, the Committee directs the
Commission to submit to the Committees on Appropriations a
monthly report on all expenditures from amounts previously
appropriated.
CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION
Appropriation enacted, 2014........................... $0
Budget estimate, 2015................................. 19,300,000
Recommended, 2015..................................... 0
Comparison:
Appropriation, 2014............................... 0
Budget estimate, 2015............................. -19,300,000
The bill does not include funding for the Capital
Construction account.
TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 401 continues a provision prohibiting activities to
promote public support or opposition to legislative proposals.
Section 402 continues a provision providing for annual
appropriations unless expressly provided otherwise in this Act.
Section 403 continues a provision providing restrictions on
departmental assessments unless approved by the Committees on
Appropriations.
Section 404 continues a limitation on accepting and
processing applications for patents and on the patenting of
Federal lands; permits processing of grandfathered
applications; and permits third-party contractors to process
grandfathered applications.
Section 405 continues a provision regarding the payment of
contract support costs for fiscal year 2013 and prior years.
Section 406 addresses the payment of contract support costs
for fiscal year 2014.
Section 407 addresses the payment of contract support costs
for fiscal year 2015.
Section 408 continues a provision allowing Forest Service
land management plans to be more than 15 years old if the
Secretary is acting in good faith to update such plans and
prohibiting the use of funds to implement new wilderness
directives under the planning rule.
Section 409 continues a provision limiting preleasing,
leasing, and related activities within the boundaries of
National Monuments.
Section 410 continues a provision which restricts funding
for acquisition of land from being used for declarations of
taking or complaints in condemnation.
Section 411 continues a provision addressing timber sales
involving Alaskan western red cedar.
Section 412 modifies a provision continuing certain
authorities to renew grazing permits or leases administered by
the Forest Service or Department of the Interior.
Section 413 continues a provision which prohibits no-bid
contracts and grants except under certain circumstances.
Section 414 continues a provision which requires public
disclosure of certain reports.
Section 415 continues a provision which delineates the
grant guidelines for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Section 416 continues a provision which delineates the
program priorities for the programs managed by the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Section 417 modifies existing insurance caps for loaned
domestic and foreign works under the Arts and Artifacts
Indemnity Act.
Section 418 continues a provision requiring the Department
of the Interior, the EPA, the Forest Service, and the Indian
Health Service to provide the Committees on Appropriations a
quarterly report on the status of balances of appropriations.
Section 419 requires the President to submit a report to
the Committees on Appropriations no later than 120 days after
the fiscal year 2016 budget is submitted to Congress describing
in detail all Federal agency obligations and expenditures for
climate change programs and activities in fiscal years 2014 and
2015.
Section 420 continues 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.
Section 421 continues 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.
Section 422 continues a provision limiting the use of funds
to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or
cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan
or loan guarantee to, corporations convicted of a felony
criminal violation of Federal law within the preceding 24
months. Agencies shall provide an annual report to the
Committee, due within 30 days of the end of each fiscal year,
detailing its implementation of this provision, including a
list of affected corporations and a justification for any cases
in which the Department has determined that the limitation
should not apply.
Section 423 continues a provision limiting the use of funds
to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or
cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan
or loan guarantee to, corporations with certain unpaid Federal
tax liabilities. Agencies shall provide an annual report to the
Committee, due within 30 days of the end of each fiscal year,
detailing its implementation of this provision, including a
list of affected corporations and a justification for any cases
in which the Department has determined that the limitation
should not apply.
Section 424 extends by one year the authorization for
American Battlefield Protection program grants.
Section 425 provides a one-year extension of the current
rec fee authority.
Section 426 prohibits the use of funds to regulate the lead
content of ammunition or fishing tackle.
Section 427 continues a provision from the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2014 modifying authorities relating to the
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
Section 428 extends the maximum authorized term for grazing
permits and leases.
Section 429 prohibits the use of funds to develop, adopt,
implement, administer, or enforce a change or supplement to a
rule or guidance documents pertaining to the definition of
waters under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Section 430 prohibits the use of funds to develop, carry
out, implement, or enforce proposed regulations published on
June 18, 2010.
Section 431 prohibits the use of funds to limit
recreational shooting and hunting on Federal and public lands
except for public safety.
Section 432 prohibits the use of funds to develop, propose,
finalize, administer, or implement the National Ocean Policy
under Executive Order 13547; requires a report identifying all
Federal expenditures for the development, administration, or
implementation of such Policy since fiscal year 2011; and
requires that the President's budget submission for fiscal year
2016 identify funding proposed for the implementation of such
Policy. The Committee is including the general provision in
order to ascertain the potentially far-reaching impacts of this
policy established in 2010 without Congressional input.
Section 433 prohibits EPA from using funds to implement,
administer, or enforce the lead renovation rule until EPA has
approved a commercially available lead test kit.
Section 434 prohibits EPA from using funds to develop,
propose, finalize, implement, enforce, or administer any
regulation that would establish new financial responsibility
requirements under CERCLA.
Section 435 prohibits EPA from using funds to develop,
issue, implement, or enforce any greenhouse gas New Source
Performance Standards on any new or existing source that is an
electric utility generating unit.
Section 436 prohibits the use of funds to compile or
disclose personal information of dairy or livestock owners,
operators, and employees unless the information was voluntarily
offered or aggregated at the local level.
Section 437 makes available vacant allotments for
permittees impacted by drought or wildland fire.
Section 438 clarifies the protection of water rights with
regard to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management permits.
Section 439 prohibits the use of funds from making any
change to the regulations in effect on October 1, 2012,
pertaining to the definitions of the terms ``fill material'' or
``discharge of fill material''.
Section 440 places a limitation on administrative costs for
programs addressing invasive species.
Section 441 maintains the long-standing exemption under the
definition of solid waste for legitimate scrap metal recyclers.
Section 442 designates February 22, George Washington's
actual birthday, as a national holiday.
Section 443 prohibits EPA from finalizing a rule to allow
the Agency to collect fines and penalties via administratively
garnishing wages.
Section 444 applies Buy American requirements to the
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Section 445 establishes a Spending Reduction Account in the
bill.
Bill-Wide Reporting Requirements
The following items are included in accordance with various
requirements of the Rules of the House of Representatives:
FULL COMMITTEE VOTES
Pursuant to the provisions of clause 3(b) of rule XIII of
the Rules of the House of Representatives, the results of each
roll call vote on an amendment or on the motion to report,
together with the names of those voting for and those voting
against, are printed below:
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the following is a statement of
general performance goals and objectives for which this measure
authorizes funding:
The Committee on Appropriations considers program
performance, including a program's success in developing and
attaining outcome-related goals and objectives, in developing
funding recommendations.
RESCISSION OF FUNDS
Pursuant to clause 3(f)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the following table is submitted
describing the rescission recommended in the accompanying bill:
Department and activity:
Amounts recommended for rescission:
Department of the Interior: Landowner Incentive Program
$2,000,000.
Department of the Interior: Private Stewardship Grants
$24,000.
Department of the Interior: Land and Water Conservation
Fund (contract authority) $28,000,000.
Environmental Protection Agency: STAG $45,000,000.
TRANSFERS OF FUNDS
Pursuant to clause 3(f)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the following table is submitted
describing the transfer of funds in the accompanying bill.
DISCLOSURE OF EARMARKS AND CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING ITEMS
Neither the bill nor the report contains any Congressional
earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as
defined by clause 9 of rule XXI.
COMPLIANCE WITH RULE XIII, CLAUSE 3(E) (RAMSEYER RULE)
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
TITLE 31, UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
SUBTITLE V--GENERAL ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 69--PAYMENT FOR ENTITLEMENT LAND
* * * * * * *
Sec. 6906. Funding
For each of fiscal years 2008 through [2014] 2015--
(1) each county or other eligible unit of local
government shall be entitled to payment under this
chapter; and
(2) sums shall be made available to the Secretary of
the Interior for obligation or expenditure in
accordance with this chapter.
* * * * * * *
----------
CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012
(Public Law 112-74)
* * * * * * *
DIVISION E--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
* * * * * * *
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS REGARDING GRAZING ON PUBLIC LANDS
* * * * * * *
Sec. 115. (a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(d) Provisions of this section shall apply to fiscal years
2012 through [2014] 2017.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 122. (a) Exhaustion of Administrative Review Required.--
(1) For [fiscal years 2012 through 2015] fiscal year
2012 and each fiscal year thereafter, a person may
bring a civil action challenging a decision of the
Bureau of Land Management concerning grazing on public
lands (as defined in section 103(e) of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702(e)))
in a Federal district court only if the person has
exhausted the administrative hearings and appeals
procedures established by the Department of the
Interior, including having filed a timely appeal and a
request for stay.
(2) An issue may be considered in the judicial review
of a decision referred to in paragraph (1) only if the
issue was raised in the administrative review process
described in such paragraph.
(3) An exception to the requirement of exhausting the
administrative review process before seeking judicial
review shall be available if a Federal court finds that
the agency failed or was unable to make information
timely available during the administrative review
process for issues of material fact. For the purposes
of this paragraph, the term ``timely'' means within 120
calendar days after the date that the challenge to the
agency action or amendment at issue is received for
administrative review.
* * * * * * *
TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS
* * * * * * *
EXTENSION OF GRAZING PERMITS
Sec. 415. The terms and conditions of section 325 of Public
Law 108-108 (117 Stat. 1307), regarding grazing permits at the
Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, shall remain
in effect for [fiscal years 2012 through 2015] fiscal year 2012
and each fiscal year thereafter. A grazing permit or lease
issued by the Secretary of the Interior for lands administered
by the Bureau of Land Management that is the subject of a
request for a grazing preference transfer shall be issued,
without further processing, for the remaining time period in
the existing permit or lease using the same mandatory terms and
conditions. If the authorized officer determines a change in
the mandatory terms and conditions is required, the new permit
must be processed as directed in section 325 of Public Law 108-
108.
* * * * * * *
----------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010
* * * * * * *
DIVISION A--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010
The following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Department of the
Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, namely:
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
* * * * * * *
FOREST ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND RECOVERY FUND
(REVOLVING FUND, SPECIAL ACCOUNT)
In addition to the purposes authorized in Public Law 102-381,
funds made available in the Forest Ecosystem Health and
Recovery Fund can be used through fiscal year [2015] 2020 for
the purpose of planning, preparing, implementing and monitoring
salvage timber sales and forest ecosystem health and recovery
activities, such as release from competing vegetation and
density control treatments. The Federal share of receipts
(defined as the portion of salvage timber receipts not paid to
the counties under 43 U.S.C. 1181f and 43 U.S.C. 1181f-1 et
seq., and Public Law 106-393) derived from treatments funded by
this account shall be deposited through fiscal year [2015] 2020
into the Forest Ecosystem Health and Recovery Fund.
* * * * * * *
----------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006
(Public Law 109-54)
AN ACT Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior,
environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2006, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the
following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Department of the
Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes, namely:
TITLE II--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
* * * * * * *
administrative provisions
For fiscal year 2006, notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 6303(1) and
6305(1), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency, in carrying out the Agency's function to implement
directly Federal environmental programs required or authorized
by law in the absence of an acceptable tribal program, may
award cooperative agreements to federally-recognized Indian
Tribes or Intertribal consortia, if authorized by their member
Tribes, to assist the Administrator in implementing Federal
environmental programs for Indian Tribes required or authorized
by law, except that no such cooperative agreements may be
awarded from funds designated for State financial assistance
agreements.
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is
authorized to collect and obligate pesticide registration
service fees in accordance with section 33 of the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (as added by
subsection (f)(2) of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act
of 2003), as amended.
Notwithstanding CERCLA 104(k)(4)(B)(i)(IV), appropriated
funds for fiscal year 2006 may be used to award grants or loans
under section 104(k) of CERCLA to eligible entities that
satisfy all of the elements set forth in CERCLA section 101(40)
to qualify as a bona fide prospective purchaser except that the
date of acquisition of the property was prior to the date of
enactment of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield
Revitalization Act of 2001.
For fiscal years 2006 through [2015] 2020., the Administrator
may, after consultation with the Office of Personnel
Management, employ up to fifty persons at any one time in the
Office of Research and Development under the authority provided
in 42 U.S.C. 209.
Beginning in fiscal year 2006 and thereafter, and
notwithstanding section 306 of the Toxic Substances Control
Act, the Federal share of the cost of radon program activities
implemented with Federal assistance under section 306 shall not
exceed 60 percent in the third and subsequent grant years.
* * * * * * *
----------
ARTS AND ARTIFACTS INDEMNITY ACT
* * * * * * *
federal council
Sec. 2. (a) * * *
(b)(1) For purposes of this Act, the Council shall be an
``agency'' within the meaning of the appropriate definitions of
such term in title 5, United States Code.
(2) For purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution, the Director of the National Gallery
of Art, the member designated by the Chairman of the Senate
Commission [of Art] on Art and Antiquities and the member
designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
not serve as members of the Council.
* * * * * * *
indemnity agreement
Sec. 5. (a) * * *
(b) The aggregate of loss or damage covered by indemnity
agreements made under this Act shall not exceed
[$10,000,000,000] $15,000,000,000, at any one time for
international exhibitions, and [$5,000,000,000] $7,500,000,000
at any one time for domestic exhibitions.
(c) No indemnity agreement for a single exhibition shall
cover loss or damage in excess of [$1,200,000,000]
$1,800,000,000 for international exhibitions, or [$750,000,000]
$1,000,000,000 for domestic exhibitions.
(d) If the estimated value of the items covered by an
indemnity agreement for a single exhibition is--
(1) $2,000,000 or less, then coverage under this Act
shall extend only to loss or damage in excess of the
first $15,000 of loss or damage to items covered;
(2) more than $2,000,000 but less than $10,000,000,
then coverage under this Act shall extend only to loss
or damage in excess of the first $25,000 of loss or
damage to items covered;
(3) not less than $10,000,000 but less than
$125,000,000, then coverage under this Act shall extend
to loss or damage in excess of the first $50,000 of
loss or damage to items covered;
(4) not less than $125,000,000 but less than
$200,000, then coverage under this Act shall extend to
loss or damage in excess of the first $100,000 of loss
or damage to items covered;
(5) not less than $200,000,000 but less than
$300,000,000, then coverage under the Act shall extend
only to loss or damage in excess of the first $200,000,
of loss or damage to items covered;
(6) not less than $300,000,000 but less than
$400,000,000, then coverage under this chapter shall
extend only to loss or damage in excess of the first
$300,000 of loss or damage to items covered;
(7) not less than $400,000,000 but less than
$500,000,000, then coverage under this chapter shall
extend only to loss or damage in excess of the first
$400,000 of loss or damage to items covered; or
(8) $500,000,000 or more, then coverage under this
[chapter] Act shall extend only to loss or damage in
excess of the first $500,000 of loss or damage to items
covered.
* * * * * * *
----------
ACT OF MARCH 30, 2009
(Public Law 111-11)
AN ACT To designate certain land as components of the National
Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and
activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of
Agriculture, and for other purposes.
* * * * * * *
TITLE VII--NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AUTHORIZATIONS
* * * * * * *
Subtitle D--Program Authorizations
SEC. 7301. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM.
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(c) Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Battlefield report.--The term
``Battlefield Report'' means the document
entitled ``Report on the Nation's Civil War
Battlefields'', prepared by the Civil War Sites
Advisory Commission, and dated July 1993.
(B) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible
entity'' means a State or local government.
(C) Eligible site.--The term ``eligible
site'' means a site--
(i) that is not within the exterior
boundaries of a unit of the National
Park System; and
(ii) that is identified in the
Battlefield Report.
(D) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through
the American Battlefield Protection Program.
(2) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a
battlefield acquisition grant program under which the
Secretary may provide grants to eligible entities to
pay the Federal share of the cost of acquiring
interests in eligible sites for the preservation and
protection of those eligible sites.
(3) Nonprofit partners.--An eligible entity may
acquire an interest in an eligible site using a grant
under this subsection in partnership with a nonprofit
organization.
(4) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the
total cost of acquiring an interest in an eligible site
under this subsection shall be not less than 50
percent.
(5) Limitation on land use.--An interest in an
eligible site acquired under this subsection shall be
subject to section 6(f)(3) of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-8(f)(3)).
(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to
provide grants under this subsection $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2009 through [2014] 2015.
* * * * * * *
----------
FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT
* * * * * * *
DIVISION J--OTHER MATTERS
* * * * * * *
TITLE VIII--FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT
* * * * * * *
SEC. 810. SUNSET PROVISION.
The authority of the Secretary to carry out this Act shall
terminate [10 years] 12 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
* * * * * * *
----------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000
* * * * * * *
TITLE VIII--GENERAL PROVISIONS
* * * * * * *
Sec. 8162. Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. (a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(m) Authority to Establish Memorial.--
(1) In general.--The Commission may establish a
permanent memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower on land
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior
in the District of Columbia or its environs.
(2) Compliance with standards for commemorative
works.--The establishment of the memorial shall be in
accordance with the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C.
1001 et seq.).
(3) Expiration.--Any reference in section 8903(e) of
title 40, U.S.C. to the expiration at the end of, or
extension beyond, a 7-year period shall be considered
to be a reference to an expiration on, or extension
beyond, [September 30, 2014] September 30, 2015.
* * * * * * *
----------
FEDERAL LAND POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1976
* * * * * * *
TITLE IV--RANGE MANAGEMENT
* * * * * * *
grazing leases and permits
Sec. 402. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
section, permits and leases for domestic livestock grazing on
public lands issued by the Secretary under the Act of June 28,
1934 (48 Stat. 1269, as amended; 43 U.S.C. 315 et. seq.) or the
Act of August 28, 1937 (50 Stat. 874, as amended; 43 U.S.C.
1181a-1181j), or by the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect
to lands within National Forests in the sixteen contiguous
Western States, shall be for a term of [ten years] 20 years
subject to such terms and conditions the Secretary concerned
deems appropriate and consistent with the governing law,
including, but not limited to, the authority of the Secretary
concerned to cancel, suspend, or modify a grazing permit or
lease, in whole or in part, pursuant to the terms and
conditions thereof, or to cancel or suspend a grazing permit or
lease for any violation of a grazing regulation or of any term
or condition of such grazing permit or lease.
(b) Permits or leases may be issued by the Secretary
concerned for a period shorter than [ten years] 20 years where
the Secretary concerned determines that--
(1) the land is pending disposal; or
(2) the land will be devoted to a public purpose
prior to the end of [ten years] 20 years; or
(3) it will be in the best interest of sound land
management to specify a shorter term: Provided, That
the absence from an allotment management plan of
details the Secretary concerned would like to include
but which are undeveloped shall not be the basis for
establishing a term shorter than [ten years] 20 years:
Provided further, That the absence of completed land
use plans or court ordered environmental statements
shall not be the sole basis for establishing a term
shorter than [ten years] 20 years unless the Secretary
determines on a case-by-case basis that the information
to be contained in such land use plan or court ordered
environmental impact statement is necessary to
determine whether a shorter term should be established
for any of the reasons set forth in items (1) through
(3) of this subsection.
* * * * * * *
----------
TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
PART III--EMPLOYEES
* * * * * * *
SUBPART E--ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 61--HOURS OF WORK
SUBCHAPTER I--GENERAL PROVISIONS
* * * * * * *
Sec. 6103. Holidays
(a) The following are legal public holidays:
New Year's Day, January 1.
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday
in January.
[Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in
February.]
Washington's Birthday, February 22.
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.
Independence Day, July 4.
Labor Day, the first Monday in September.
Columbus Day, the second Monday in October.
Veterans Day, November 11.
Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November.
Christmas Day, December 25.
* * * * * * *
CHANGES IN APPLICATION OF EXISTING LAW
Pursuant to clause 3(f)(1)(A) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, the following statements are
submitted describing the effect of provisions in the
accompanying bill, which directly or indirectly change the
application of existing law. In most instances these provisions
have been included in prior appropriations Acts.
The bill includes the following changes in application of
existing law:
OVERALL BILL
Providing that certain appropriations remain available
until expended or extends the availability of funds beyond the
fiscal year where programs or projects are continuing but for
which legislation does not specifically authorize such extended
availability. This authority tends to result in savings by
preventing the practice of committing funds on low priority
projects at the end of the fiscal year to avoid losing the
funds.
Limiting, in certain instances, the obligation of funds for
particular functions or programs. These limitations include
restrictions on the obligation of funds for administrative
expenses, travel expenses, the use of consultants, and
programmatic areas within the overall jurisdiction of a
particular agency.
Limiting official entertainment or reception and
representation expenses for selected agencies in the bill.
Continuing ongoing activities of those Federal agencies,
which require annual authorization or additional legislation,
which has not been enacted.
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
MANAGEMENT OF LANDS AND RESOURCES
Providing funds to the Bureau for the management of lands
and resources.
Providing funds to the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation under certain conditions.
Permitting the use of fees for processing applications for
permit to drill.
Permitting the use of mining fee collections for program
operations.
Permitting the use of fees from communication site rentals.
LAND ACQUISITION
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund.
OREGON AND CALIFORNIA GRANT LANDS
Providing funds for the Oregon and California Grant Lands.
Authorizing the transfer of certain collections from the
Oregon and California Land Grants Fund to the Treasury.
RANGE IMPROVEMENTS
Allowing certain funds to be transferred to the Department
of the Interior for range improvements.
SERVICE CHARGES, DEPOSITS, AND FORFEITURES
Allowing the use of certain collected funds for certain
administrative costs and operation of termination of certain
facilities.
Allowing the use of funds on any damaged public lands.
Authorizing the Secretary to use monies from forfeitures,
compromises or settlements for improvement, protection and
rehabilitation of public lands under certain conditions.
MISCELLANEOUS TRUST FUNDS
Allowing certain contributed funds to be advanced for
administrative costs and other activities of the Bureau.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Permitting the Bureau to enter into agreements with public
and private entities, including States.
Permitting the Bureau to manage improvements to which the
United States has title.
Permitting the payment of rewards for information on
violations of law on Bureau lands.
Providing for cost-sharing arrangements for printing
services.
Permitting the Bureau to conduct certain projects for State
governments on a reimbursable basis.
Prohibiting the use of funds for the destruction of wild
horses and burros.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Limiting funds for certain Endangered Species Act programs.
Limiting funds for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM
Limiting funds for establishing new refuges or expanding
the boundaries of existing refuges unless expressly authorized
by the Congress.
FISH AND AQUATIC CONSERVATION
Specifically authorizing conservation, mitigation, Indian
trust, and recreational fishing activities.
Requiring the Secretary to annually determine and report on
the Federal government's hatchery mitigation responsibilities,
and to fulfill them.
Requiring the Secretary to be reimbursed by other Federal
agencies for fulfilling hatchery mitigation responsibilities.
Limiting funds for termination or closure of mitigation
fish hatcheries and programs.
Requiring the publication of an annual operations and
maintenance plan.
COOPERATIVE ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION FUND
Providing that a portion of the appropriation may be
derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
STATE AND TRIBAL WILDLIFE GRANTS
Providing for a State and Tribal wildlife grants program.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Providing that programs may be carried out by direct
expenditure, contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and
reimbursable agreements with public and private entities.
Providing for repair of damage to public roads.
Providing options for the purchase of land not to exceed
$1.
Permitting cost-shared arrangements for printing services.
Permitting the acceptance of donated aircraft.
National Park Service
OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Designating funds for Everglades restoration.
Providing for repair, rehabilitation and maintenance of
National Park Service assets.
NATIONAL RECREATION AND PRESERVATION
Providing for expenses not otherwise provided for.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Providing for expenses derived from the Historic
Preservation Fund.
CONSTRUCTION
Providing funds for construction, improvements, repair or
replacement of physical facilities including modified water
deliveries to Everglades National Park with certain
restrictions.
Providing that a single procurement may be issued for any
project funded in fiscal year 2015 with a future phase
indicated in the National Park Service 5-year Line Item
Construction Plan.
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND
Rescinding Land and Water Conservation Fund contract
authority.
LAND ACQUISITION AND STATE ASSISTANCE
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund.
CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE
Providing funds for Centennial Challenge projects with no
less than 50 percent of the cost of each project derived from
non-Federal sources.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Allowing certain franchise fees to be available for
expenditure without further appropriation to extinguish or
reduce liability for certain possessory interests.
Providing for the retention of administrative costs under
certain Land and Water Conservation Fund programs.
Allowing National Park Service funds to be transferred to
the Federal Highway Administration for purposes authorized
under 23 U.S.C. 204 for reasonable administrative support
costs.
United States Geological Survey
SURVEYS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND RESEARCH
Providing funds to classify lands as to their mineral and
water resources.
Providing funds to give engineering supervision to power
permittees and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensees.
Limiting funds for the conduct of new surveys on private
property without permission.
Limiting funds for cooperative topographic mapping or water
resource data collection and investigations.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Allowing funds to be used for certain contracting,
technical services, construction, maintenance, acquisition, and
representation expenses.
Permitting the use of certain contracts, grants, and
cooperative agreements.
Recognizing students and recent graduates as Federal
employees for the purposes of travel and work injury
compensation.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Permitting funds for mineral leasing and environmental
study; enforcing laws and contracts; and for matching grants.
Providing that funds may be used which shall be derived
from non-refundable cost recovery fees collected in 2014.
Permitting the use of certain excess receipts from Outer
Continental Shelf leasing activities.
Providing for reasonable expenses related to volunteer
beach and marine cleanup activities.
Prohibiting the use of funds for regulating non-lease
holders.
BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT
Permitting funds for mineral leasing and environmental
study; enforcing laws and contracts; and for matching grants.
Providing that funds may be used which shall be derived
from non-refundable cost recovery fees collected in 2014.
Permitting the use of certain excess receipts from Outer
Continental Shelf leasing activities.
Permitting the use of funds derived from non-refundable
inspection fees collecting in 2014.
Requiring that not less than 50 percent of inspection fees
expended be used on personnel, expanding capacity and reviewing
applications for permit to drill.
OIL SPILL RESEARCH
Providing that funds shall be derived from the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund.
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
REGULATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Permitting payment to State and tribal personnel for travel
and per diem expenses for training.
Permitting the use of certain offsetting collections from
permit fees.
ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATION FUND
Allowing the use of debt recovery to pay for debt
collection.
Allowing that certain funds made available under title IV
of Public Law 95-87 may be used for any required non-Federal
share of the cost of certain projects.
Allowing funds to be used for travel expenses of State and
tribal personnel while attending certain OSM training.
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education
Operation of Indian Programs
Limiting funds for official reception and representation
expenses.
Limiting funds for welfare assistance payments, except for
disaster relief.
Allowing tribal priority allocation funds to be used for
unmet welfare assistance costs.
Limiting funds for school operations of Bureau-funded
schools and other education programs.
Permitting the use of tribal priority allocations for
general assistance payments to individuals and school
operations costs.
Limiting funds for administrative cost grants under certain
circumstances.
Allowing the transfer of certain forestry funds.
Allowing the use of funds to purchase uniforms or other
identifying articles of clothing for personnel.
CONSTRUCTION
Providing for the transfer of Navajo irrigation project
funds to the Bureau of Reclamation.
Providing that six percent of Federal Highway Trust Fund
contract authority may be used for construction management
costs.
Providing Safety of Dams funds on a non-reimbursable basis.
Requiring the use of administrative and cost accounting
principles for certain school construction projects and
exempting such projects from certain requirements.
Requiring conformance with building codes and health and
safety standards.
Specifying the procedure for dispute resolution.
Limiting the control of construction projects when certain
time frames have not been met.
Allowing reimbursement of construction costs from the
Office of Special Trustee.
INDIAN GUARANTEED LOAN PROGRAM ACCOUNT
Limiting funds for administrative expenses and for
subsidizing total loan principal.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Allowing the use of funds for direct expenditure,
contracts, cooperative agreements, compacts, and grants.
Allowing contracting for the San Carlos Irrigation Project.
Limiting the use of funds for certain contracts, grants and
cooperative agreements.
Allowing Tribes to return appropriated funds.
Prohibiting funding of Alaska schools.
Limiting the number of schools and the expansion of grade
levels in individual schools.
Specifying distribution of indirect and administrative
costs for certain Tribes.
Departmental Offices
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Allowing the use of certain funds for official reception
and representation expenses.
Permitting payments to former Bureau of Mines workers.
Designating funds for mineral revenue management
activities.
Designating funds for consolidated appraisal services to be
derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Designating funds for mineral revenue management
activities.
Allowing certain refunds of overpayments in connection with
certain Indian leases.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Allowing certain payments authorized for the Payments in
Lieu of Taxes Program to be retained for administrative
expenses.
Providing that no Payments in Lieu of Taxes Program payment
be made to otherwise eligible units of local government if the
computed amount of the payment is less than $100.
Providing that a payment made to a unit of general local
government for fiscal year 2015 may be reduced by the Secretary
to correct overpayments, and increased by the Secretary to
correct underpayments, to such unit of local government for the
previous fiscal year.
Extending mandatory funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes.
Insular Affairs
ASSISTANCE TO TERRITORIES
Designating funds for various programs and for salaries and
expenses of the Office of Insular Affairs.
Allowing audits of the financial transactions of the
Territorial and Insular governments by the GAO.
Providing grant funding under certain terms of the
Agreement of the Special Representatives on Future United
States Financial Assistance for the Northern Mariana Islands.
Providing for capital infrastructure in various
Territories.
Allowing appropriations for disaster assistance to be used
as non-Federal matching funds for hazard mitigation grants.
COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION
Providing grants to Palau, the Marshall Islands, and
Micronesia.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, INSULAR AFFAIRS
Allowing, at the request of the Governor of Guam, for
certain discretionary or mandatory funds to be used to assist
securing certain rural electrification loans through the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Office of Special Trustee for American Indians
FEDERAL TRUST PROGRAMS
Limiting the amount of funding available for the historical
accounting of Indian trust fund accounts.
Allowing transfers to other Department of the Interior
accounts.
Providing no-year funding for certain Indian Self-
Determination Act grants.
Exempting quarterly statements for Indian trust accounts
$15 or less.
Requiring annual statements and records maintenance for
Indian trust accounts.
Limiting use of funds to correct administrative errors in
Indian trust accounts.
Permitting the use of recoveries from erroneous payments
pursuant to Indian trust accounts.
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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service for
consultation activities under the Endangered Species Act.
Providing certain terms for leases of real property with
local governments.
Providing for the transfer of funds between the Department
of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture for wildland
fire management.
Providing funds for support of Federal emergency response
actions.
Allowing for international forestry assistance to or
through the Department of State.
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund
Providing funds for the FLAME fund.
Central Hazardous Materials Fund
Providing funds for response action, including associated
activities, performed pursuant to the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund
Providing funds for activities to carry out the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990, and Public Law 101-337.
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
National Indian Program Training Center to state, local and
Tribal employees or other persons for cultural, educational or
recreational activities.
Providing that the Secretary may enter into grants and
cooperative agreements to support the Office of Natural
Resource Revenue's collection and disbursement of royalties,
fees, and other mineral revenue proceeds, as authorized by law.
Administrative Provision
Allowing acquisition of certain aircraft.
Allowing the sale of existing aircraft with proceeds used
to offset the purchase price of replacement aircraft.
General Provisions, Department of the Interior
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 Bureau of
Indian Affairs and the Office of Special Trustee for American
Indians and limiting amounts for historical accounting
activities.
Authorizing the acquisition of lands and leases for Ellis,
Governors and Liberty Islands.
Providing the authority for the Secretary to collect
nonrefundable inspection fees.
Providing the authority for the Secretary to implement an
oil and gas leasing Internet program.
Permitting the reorganization of the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Enforcement and Regulation.
Permitting the Secretary of the Interior to enter into
long-term agreements for wild horse and burro holding
facilities.
Requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to mark
hatchery salmon.
Addressing BLM actions regarding grazing on public lands.
Prohibiting the use of funds to implement, administer or
enforce Secretarial Order 3310.
Providing the Secretary of the Interior statutory authority
to enter into rental or lease agreements that benefit Bureau of
Indian Education operated schools.
Continuing through fiscal year 2020 forest ecosystem health
and recovery activities.
Maintaining the status quo on regulations relating to the
legal domestic trade and transport of products containing
ivory.
Suspending any further study, withdrawal or finalization of
any rule pertaining to the valley elderberry longhorn beetle
and re-opening the public comment period.
Limiting funds for a proposed rule for sage-grouse pursuant
to the Endangered Species Act.
Requiring the Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a recovery
plan and economic analysis of recovery plan actions for certain
amphibians.
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 explanatory statement to 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.
Designating funding for National Priorities as specified in
the explanatory statement to this Act.
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 certain grants under authority of Section 103,
Clean Air Act.
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 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.
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.
Authorizing additional persons that may be hired under
certain authorities.
Providing for grants to federally recognized Tribes.
TITLE III--RELATED AGENCIES
FOREST SERVICE
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.
NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM
Providing funds for the National Forest System.
Depositing funds in the Collaborative Forest Landscape
Restoration Fund.
Designating funds for forest products.
Designating funds in the Integrated Resource Restoration
pilot program.
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 2014
for the road and trails fund (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be
transferred to the Treasury.
Providing for the transfer of funds to the National Forest
System for the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program.
LAND ACQUISITION
Requiring that funding for the program is derived from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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.
Designating funds for the Joint Fire Sciences Program and
extending authorities for Fire Science Research.
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 the acquisition of fire-fighting aircraft.
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 Department of the Interior and the Department of
Agriculture.
Designating the use of hazardous fuels reduction funds for
biomass grants.
Providing that funds transferred from the FLAME Wildfire
Suppression Reserve Fund shall be assessed for cost pools.
Permitting the transfer of funds for the Integrated
Resources Restoration pilot.
FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund
Providing funds for the FLAME fund and authorizing
transfers under certain conditions.
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 Agency for
International Development for work in foreign countries and to
support other forestry activities outside of the United States.
Allowing the Forest Service, acting for the International
Program, to sign certain funding agreements with foreign
governments and institutions as well as with certain domestic
agencies.
Authorizing the expenditure or transfer of funds for wild
horse and burro activities.
Prohibiting the transfer of funds under the Department of
Agriculture transfer authority under certain conditions.
Limiting the transfer of funds for the Working Capital Fund
and Department Reimbursable Program (also known as Greenbook
charges).
Limiting funds to support the Youth Conservation Corps and
Public Lands Corps.
Limiting the use of funds for official reception and
representation expenses.
Providing for matching funds for the National Forest
Foundation and making permanent authorities for the National
Forest Foundation regarding interest bearing accounts.
Providing for matching funds for the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation.
Allowing funds to be used for technical assistance for
certain 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 Office of General Counsel
at the Department of Agriculture.
Permitting eligible employees to be considered a Federal
Employee.
Indian Health Service
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 Indian Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund.
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 funding and allocation direction for the
methamphetamine, domestic violence, and substance abuse
programs.
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 Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Permitting the use of Indian Health Care Improvement Fund
monies for facilities improvement and providing no-year funding
availability.
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
Department of Defense.
Prohibiting the use of funds for sanitation facilities for
new homes funded by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
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 Indian Health Service facilities, subject to charges, and
for the expenditure of collected funds.
Providing for transfers of funds from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development to the Indian Health Service.
Prohibiting limitations on certain Federal travel and
transportation expenses.
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.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
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.
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
Providing for the transfer of funds to the Department of
the Interior Office of Inspector General.
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Permitting use of funds for hire of passenger vehicles,
uniforms or allowances, and limiting the use of funds for per
diem expenses and the number of senior level positions.
Smithsonian Institution
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 including the
National Museum of African American History and Culture 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.
Providing funding to continue construction of the National
Museum of African American History and Culture.
National Gallery of Art
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.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Providing funds to the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts Kennedy Center for operational and maintenance
costs.
Capital Repair and Restoration
Providing funds to the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts Kennedy Center for facility repair.
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.
Commission of Fine Arts
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.
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs
Providing funding for the National Capital Arts and
Cultural Affairs.
National Capital Planning Commission
Providing funding for the National Capital Planning
Commission.
Providing that one-quarter of one percent may be used for
official reception and representational expenses.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Designating funds for equipment replacement.
Designating funds for repair, rehabilitation and for
exhibition design and production and providing no year
availability for these funds.
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 reprogramming procedures, 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.
Limiting the use of funds for contract support costs on
Indian contracts.
Limiting the use of fiscal year 2014 funds for contract
support costs on Indian contracts.
Limiting the use of fiscal year 2015 funds for contract
support costs on Indian contracts.
Allowing the extension of forest plans and prohibiting
funds for the revised Chapter 70 of the Forest Service Handbook
related to wilderness per the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Planning Act.
Limiting leasing and preleasing activities within National
Monuments.
Limiting takings for acquisition of lands except under
certain conditions.
Modifying a provision addressing timber sales involving
Alaskan Red Cedar.
Modifying a provision continuing certain authorities to
renew grazing permits or leases administered by the Forest
Service or Department of the Interior.
Prohibiting funds to enter into certain no-bid contracts
except under certain conditions.
Requiring reports to Congress to be posted on public agency
websites.
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.
Modifying existing insurance caps for loaned domestic and
foreign works under the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act.
Requiring that the Department of the Interior, the EPA, the
Forest Service, and the Indian Health Service provide the
Committees on Appropriations a quarterly report on the status
of balances of appropriations.
Requiring a government-wide report regarding expenditures
on climate change.
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.
Prohibiting the government from entering into contracts or
agreements with any corporation that was convicted of a felony
criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding
24 months.
Prohibiting funds for contracts or agreements with entities
with unpaid Federal tax liabilities that have not entered into
payment agreements to remedy the liability.
Extending by one year the authorization for American
Battlefield Protection program grants.
Providing a one-year extension of the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act.
Prohibiting the use of funds to regulate the lead content
of ammunition or fishing tackle.
Modifying authorities relating to the Dwight D. Eisenhower
Memorial Commission.
Extending the maximum authorized term for grazing permits
and leases.
Prohibiting the use of funds to develop, adopt, implement,
administer, or enforce a change or supplement to a rule or
guidance documents pertaining to the definition of waters under
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Prohibiting the use of funds to develop, carry out,
implement, or enforce proposed regulations published on June
18, 2010.
Prohibiting the use of funds to limit recreational shooting
and hunting on Federal and public lands except for public
safety.
Prohibiting the use of funds to implement the National
Ocean Policy under Executive Order 13547 and requiring a report
identifying Federal expenditures for the development,
administration, and implementation of such Policy.
Prohibiting EPA from using funds to implement, administer,
or enforce the lead renovation rule until EPA has approved a
commercially available lead test kit.
Prohibiting EPA from using funds to develop, propose,
finalize, implement, enforce, or administer any regulation that
would establish new financial responsibility requirements under
CERCLA.
Prohibiting the use of funds to develop, issue, implement,
or enforce any greenhouse gas New Source Performance Standards
on any new or existing source that is an electric utility
generating unit.
Prohibiting the use of funds to compile or disclose
personal information of dairy or livestock owners, operators,
and employees unless the information was voluntarily offered or
aggregated at the local level.
Making available vacant grazing allotments for permittees
impacted by drought or wildfire.
Clarifying the protection of water rights with regard to
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management permits.
Prohibiting the use of funds from making any change to the
regulations in effect on October 1, 2012, pertaining to the
definitions of the terms ``fill material'' or ``discharge of
fill material''.
Limiting administrative costs for programs addressing
invasive species.
Maintaining the long-standing exemption under the
definition of solid waste for legitimate scrap metal recyclers.
Limiting the use of funds pertaining to certain updates to
the social cost of carbon.
Designating February 22, George Washington's actual
birthday, as a national holiday.
Prohibiting EPA from finalizing a rule allowing the Agency
to collect fines and penalties via administratively garnishing
wages.
Applying Buy American requirements to the Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund.
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 House of Representatives, the following table lists the
appropriations in the accompanying bill which are not
authorized by law:
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:
[In millions of dollars]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget Authority Outlays
---------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Committee
Allocation Amount of bill Allocation Amount of bill
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison of amounts in the bill with Committee
allocations to its subcommittees: Subcommittee
on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
General Purpose Discretionary............... 30,220 30,220 30,191\1\ 32,740
Mandatory................................... 62 62 62 62
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Includes outlays from prior-year budget authority.
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:
[In millions of dollars]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget Authority Outlays
---------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Committee
Allocation Amount of bill Allocation Amount of bill
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Projection of outlays associated with the
recommendation:
2015........................................ n.a. n.a. n.a.\2\ 20,494
2016........................................ n.a. n.a. n.a. 5,818
2017........................................ n.a. n.a. n.a. 2,352
2018........................................ n.a. n.a. n.a. 976
2019 and future years....................... n.a. n.a. n.a. 486
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\Excludes outlays from prior-year budget authority.
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:
[In millions of dollars]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget Authority Outlays
---------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Committee
Allocation Amount of bill Allocation Amount of bill
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial assistance to State and local n.a. 5,593 n.a.\2\ 2,391
governments for 2015...........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\Excludes outlays from prior-year budget authority.
n.a.: Not Applicable.
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 Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
DIRECTED RULE MAKING
The bill does not direct any rule making.
TABLE OF FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS
The following table provides the amounts recommended by the
Committee compared with the budget estimates by account.