Department of the Interior, Environmental, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 22, 2006)

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration bill (H.R. 5386) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environmental, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes:

* Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to explain my opposition to the Interior Appropriations bill. This important bill should reflect our national commitment to protecting our air, our water, and some of our most treasured public lands, including our national forests, parks, and open spaces. Unfortunately, this bill fails to live up to our responsibility to be good stewards of our natural heritage. This bill cuts the Clean Water State Revolving Funds by $200 million and cuts State Conservation Grants to below last year's levels. Most egregiously, this bill cuts funding for essential projects to repair and upgrade facilities in our National Parks by $216 million below last year's levels and more than $400 billion below the level of six years ago. This bill does not meet the federally mandated increase in federal pay and other fixed costs of the National Park Service. As a result, we will see cutbacks in staff and visitor services at our parks. This bill also does not include any funding for schools at Indian reservations.

* I am disappointed to have to vote against this bill because it did contain some worthwhile provisions. In it, the Congress finally recognized the reality of global warming. Though the bill does not include any concrete steps to address the problem, I was pleased that Congress finally acknowledged the issue. I also supported an amendment included in this bill that would require energy companies to pay royalties for the oil and natural gas they obtain from publicly-owned lands. This common sense amendment ends an unnecessary and illogical subsidy to the oil and gas industry and allows the American people to benefit from the use of our public resources.

* There was a Democratic amendment that would have addressed this bill's most critical failings. We proposed a plan to add essential funds to this bill by making a small reduction to the average tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. My Republican colleagues reject this proposal, upholding tax cuts for a few at the expense of important initiatives that benefit all Americans. As a result, we have a bill that fails to adequately protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and our shared natural heritage that we hold dear.

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