[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1944-E1945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO CONSERVE, ENHANCE AND PROTECT AMERICA'S 
               LANDS AND WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER JOHN

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 7, 1998

  Mr. JOHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the introduction of a 
landmark piece of legislation that has been crafted by a bipartisan 
group of members wishing to see a more equitable and prudent use of 
revenues generated from federal outer continental shelf activities. The 
bill, entitled ``The Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1998,'' 
(CARA) is the product of several months of discussions between Members 
of Congress, the States and the conservation community regarding a 
dependable source of funding for our nation's environmental needs. The 
proposal we introduce today reflects the wisdom of these discussions 
and is intended to serve as a starting point to launch a public debate 
on the merits of the idea underlying this legislation: that a portion 
of revenues derived from one of our nation's non-renewable resources 
should be reinvested back into our nation through conservation and 
recreation programs that will yield benefits today and in the future.
  Generally speaking, the bill would dedicate sixty percent of the 
bonuses, rents and royalties from federal offshore oil and gas leases 
for conservation of wildlife and their habitats, for parks and 
recreation in urban and rural areas, and for impact aid for coastal 
states to mitigate the environmental and public service impacts of 
offshore oil and gas development. These monies would be classified as 
mandatory spending, thus ensuring a constant and dependable source of 
revenue for the conservation and community investments made possible by 
the legislation. While no budget offsets are contained in this bill, my 
colleagues and I are committed to working with members of the Budget 
and Appropriations Committees during the next several months to find 
acceptable offsets for what we believe to be a sound public policy 
initiative.
  The benefits that would result from adoption of CARA are rivaled only 
by the dire need for such legislation. In Louisiana, we are 
experiencing a dramatic loss of over 35 miles per year of our coastline 
due to erosion and wetlands degradation. Meanwhile, as we watch our 
coastline erode, billions of dollars are extracted in federal mineral 
resources off our shores. Currently, fifty percent of the revenues 
derived from federal oil and gas activities onshore are shared with the 
host state. However, revenues paid from federal OCS production (beyond 
8(g) activities) are not shared with adjacent states. The 
``Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1998'' will remedy this inequity 
by sharing an equitable portion of royalties derived from federal OCS 
production with all coastal states to meet the environmental challenges 
facing their coastlines.
  To my constituents in Southwestern Louisiana, this proposal is all 
about fairness. Since the 1950's, Louisiana has served as the hub of 
the offshore oil and gas industry. To put this in perspective, in FY97, 
$3.2 billion of the roughly $4 billion of OCS revenues received by the 
federal government was generated off the coast of my home state. 
However, the development of these resources is unavoidably accompanied 
by environmental and public service impacts in the states that host the 
development of the OCS. By creating a coastal impact assistance fund, 
as envisioned in CARA, we can ensure that coastal estuaries and marshes 
nationwide remain ecologically and economically productive for many 
years to come. This is accomplished without creating an incentive for 
new oil and gas development and will have no impact on current OCS 
leasing moratoria or the President's Executive Order concerning outer 
continental shelf leasing.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill benefits more than just our coastal states by 
guaranteeing a stable funding source for the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund (LWCF) at it's authorized level of $900 million. This 
dedicated funding would provide for both state and federal programs 
included in LWCF, and include important revenues for recreation 
projects through the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program 
(UPARR). The benefits of these programs are enjoyed in all fifty states 
currently, but budgetary constraints have left them seriously

[[Page E1945]]

under funded in recent years as appropriators have tried to balance our 
federal budget. Our proposal breathes new life into these programs by 
ensuring that a constant source of funds will be available to our towns 
and states to meet their conservation and recreation needs.
  Finally, to assist states in meeting the increased demand for funding 
programs used for non-game species of wildlife, our bill would reinvest 
ten percent of the revenues gained from OCS development into a new 
wildlife and education program. The funds would be distributed through 
the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Fund, also known as Pittman-
Robertson, which has been a model framework for wildlife conservation 
and recreation projects since its inception in 1939. However, unlike 
similar proposals that have been suggested to meet non-game wildlife 
needs, our proposal does not include a new excise tax on sporting goods 
to fund the program.
  Mr. Speaker, the ``Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1998'' 
creates a responsible framework for meeting current and future 
conservation needs that will yield environmental, recreational and 
economic benefits for all Americans. I realize that we have very little 
time remaining in this Congress, but I urge all of my colleagues to 
take a close look at this proposal and work with the cosponsors of this 
bill to improve upon it so that we can reintroduce, consider, and enact 
legislation during the 106th Congress.

                          ____________________