Department of The Interior Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. I thank the ranking member for yielding me time and for the nice comments and the ability to work with her on the committee. I do appreciate the work of the Chair and the ranking member very much on this bill.

Mr. Chair, there are so many important programs that are funded in the Department of Interior Appropriations bill. I am proud to be on this committee and particularly to serve on this subcommittee.

Today's bill was written by a very good chairman in conjunction with a great ranking member, but at the end of the day, the funding levels are still too low. We cannot get bipartisan support on this bill when there are not enough dollars to go around. The reality is we need to get rid of the sequester, roll back the Budget Control Act caps, and pass these bills with funding levels that move our country forward, not backward.

As so many of my colleagues have stated, when adjusted for inflation, this bill provides less than the appropriated levels in FY 2005. That is just not sufficient for the vital programs in this bill, programs that monitor and protect the water we drink and the air we breathe and regulate the products we use.

There are some highlights in today's bill, such as the Bureau of Indian Education construction budget and the Forest Legacy program and the international forestry accounts, and I am glad to see them there, but there is so much more to be concerned about.

I am deeply disappointed in the cut to the Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species listing program, which is cut by 50 percent, and the overall Land and Water Conservation Fund cuts. This overall Land and Water Conservation Fund level is 20 percent less than last year, and that is very frustrating, knowing how important this program is to every single congressional district in the country.

I am concerned that programs such as the Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program are funded at last year's level--and no higher--when we really need to understand the diseases that affect our fish and establish treatment options to protect them.

The U.S. Geological Survey that funds critical research programs and the monitoring of climate change, stormwater gauges, earthquake and weather research is also funded only at last year's level.

The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities were denied the additional resources they requested, including funds that would have been used to increase programming for our veterans and wounded warriors.

For those of us in Maine who are so proud of our national park, Acadia National Park, and are strong supporters of parks across the country, there is simply not enough funding. There are not enough dollars for the improvements and maintenance that is needed in any given year, but particularly needed in this special centennial year.

The National Park centennial is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to highlight our parks and help millions of Americans who have not been to a national park before to see our Nation's greatest treasures.

Again, I recognize completely the position that this subcommittee and our other subcommittees have been in because of the Budget Control Act caps, but these programs deserve more.

I look forward to working with our chair and ranking member as this bill moves forward, to try to improve the areas that still need attention.

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