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<br />studies, and meetings with other river interests. Another
<br />progress report isexpeetecfn,ext month.
<br />
<br />WATER RESOURCES/ENVlkONMEJIIT
<br />
<br />Federal Budget \
<br />
<br />The annual federal budget process began officially on
<br />Monday, February 6, when President Clinton released
<br />his proposed FY96 budget. The appropriations, budget
<br />and authorizing committees have all begun their rounds
<br />of hearings on the President's proposals and the needs
<br />of the various federal agencies. It is expected that these
<br />hearings will largely end by the last of this month, and
<br />will then lead to a concurrent budget resolution selling
<br />forth funding tarqets for the appropriation bills and
<br />budget reconciliation instructions for the revenue and tax
<br />committees. It is hoped that the budget committees will
<br />mark up their resolutions around March 13-17, so they
<br />can go to the floor the last week of March and meet their
<br />statutory deadline of April 1. The concurrent budget
<br />resolution will then be followed in the summer by a
<br />reconciliation bill which assembles into one legislative
<br />vehicle modifications to the tax code and entitlement
<br />laws necessary to meet the revenue estimates and cost
<br />savings set out in the reconciliation instructions.
<br />
<br />This Is the context in which the President's budget
<br />will be considered by Congress, where the Republicans
<br />have announced an intention to cut non-defense
<br />discretionary programs by $386B by the year 2002, with
<br />most cuts being enacted this year. Under the
<br />Administration's proposal, funding for Department of
<br />I nterior programs would increase overall by $52M over
<br />last year, with increased spending for national parks,
<br />self-governance for Indian tribes and large ecosystem
<br />protection initiatives in the Pacific Northwest and the
<br />Florida Everglades. Endangered Species Act Section 6
<br />grents to states for coorerE'!illl'! E'grel'!meo!s w,,'.Iid
<br />increase in two ways: (1) the grants would grow by $1 M
<br />from $8.5M to $9.5M, and (2) $27.4M would be added
<br />for a new initiative to help states plan and implement
<br />habitat conservation plans. Discretionary funding for the
<br />Fish and Wildlife Service would increase by 4%. The
<br />budget for the Bureau of Reclamation is proposed to be
<br />reduced by $56.8M over last year's figure. The main
<br />hurdle facing Secretary Babbitt will be defending three
<br />scientific agencies: the National Biological Service, the
<br />Bureau of Mines, and the United States Geological
<br />Survey - each of which has been targeted for elimination
<br />in the GOP's Contract with America.
<br />
<br />President Clinton has proposed a $3.6B budget for
<br />the Army Corps of Engineers, a $300M Increase which .
<br />would come from unobiigated funds in previous years.
<br />It is anticipated that the Corps will find itself explaining
<br />just exactly what its mission is, in light of the fact that
<br />several have suggested many of the Corps' smaller
<br />duties, i.e., beach erosion, locai flood protection, and
<br />construction of recreational harbors, could be eliminated.
<br />Similarly, the budget proposes eliminating single
<br />purpose local Corps projects.
<br />
<br />With regard to the Environmental Protection Agency,
<br />the Clinton Administration is proposing a $138M
<br />increase. In introducing the budget, Administrator Carol
<br />Browner indicated that the increase would allow EPA to
<br />continue its efforts to move away from traditional
<br />command and control regUlatory approaches. The
<br />budget proposes new "performance partnership" grants,
<br />allowing states and tribes to consolidate grants under a
<br />host of EPA media-specific grant programs into one
<br />unified grant. The so-called "block grants" are designed
<br />to allow state and local governments to target their
<br />environmental protection resources to their most
<br />pressing environmental problems.
<br />
<br />The Administration has proposed a $2.37B budget
<br />for EPA water infrastructure programs, representing a .
<br />$404M cut from FY95. Much of this change in the
<br />agency spending would be financed by dropping many
<br />of the targeted water infrastructure construction grants
<br />in the FY95 budget. EPA is proposing a substantial shift
<br />of drinking water program resources from federal
<br />oversight of state programs to funding for grants to
<br />assist small water systems, for assistance to help
<br />communities to develop source water protection
<br />programs, and for programs to ensure small system
<br />viability. However, $200M would be cut from the
<br />drinking water state revolving loan fund, budgeted at
<br />$500flft fOr FY96. cnmoar"Jo with $700M in FY95. On the
<br />other hand, the Clean Water Act state revolving loan
<br />fund would be significantly increased in funding, from
<br />$1.24B in FY95 to $1.6B in FY96. Administrator
<br />Browner is fielding a number of difficult questions about
<br />not only the change in priorities reflected in the budget
<br />proposal, but also regarding the overall increase in its
<br />operating budget, which supports the salaries and
<br />administrative expenses of the agency's major operating
<br />programs. The budget for these basic programs would
<br />grow by over $400M, from $2.9B to $3.3B, a 22%
<br />increase.
<br />
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<br />
<br />The WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL is an organization of representatives appointed by the Governors
<br />of member states. Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon,
<br />South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. and associate member states Alaska, Montana and Washington.
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