[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2186-E2187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 COMMENTING ON THE DEPARTMENTS OF INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES FISCAL 
                      YEAR 2000 CONFERENCE REPORT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 26, 1999

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in opposition to the FY 2000 
Interior and Related Agencies Conference Report. This report represents 
poor environmental policy as it significantly weakens existing 
regulations and undermines current progress in environmental 
protection.
  Most notably, the conference report fails to fully fund the 
administration's request for the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
(LWCF). The fund is one of the most important environmental sources of 
revenue made available to States and is the primary tool that allows 
for the purchase of threatened land. As a strong proponent of this 
program, I am pleased with the fact that H.R. 2466 includes $30 million 
in funding for the stateside LWCF grant program, however, the report 
provides only $266 million of the $800 million requested by the White 
House. Since 1995, the stateside LWCF grant program, the principal 
source of funds that allows States to acquire recreation lands, has 
received no funding. This has led to all statewide efforts to promote 
conservation projects to be halted. As we enter the 21st century, I 
hope Congress can continue to increase the level of funding for the 
LWCF.
  On another note, this conference report provides only one-third of 
the funds requested by the administration for the President's Lands 
Legacy Initiative. This initiative is used to purchase lands that 
protect national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges which add 
significantly to the beauty and capacity of our national parks and 
forests. I believe that the Lands Legacy Initiative is a good program 
and that this conference report threatens to derail the 
administration's efforts to promote environmental preservation.
  Additionally, the conference report contains several anti-
environmental riders. Among these riders is a provision that rewrites 
the 1872 mining law to allow mill operators to dump toxic mining wastes 
on sites larger than 5 acres without being subject to environmental 
restrictions. Moreover, this report precludes the Interior Department's 
regulation that imposes more stringent cleanup responsibilities on mine 
operations being conducted on public lands and weakens current laws for 
forest management by instituting a 1-year moratorium on regulations 
intended to improve environmental compliance in the operation of 
hardrock mines.
  The conferees also added an anti-environmental rider in the 
conference report that involves rural agricultural lands. This 
provision would allow for grazing permits to be automatically granted 
10-year renewals regardless of whether or not environmental impact 
studies have been completed. The effect of this

[[Page E2187]]

provision would prove extremely harmful to grazing land and its 
surrounding environment.
  Furthermore, the report blocks the Interior Department's regulation 
that requires major oil companies to pay closer to the fair value of 
oil pumped on public lands and waters. This practice ends up costing 
the taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
  Finally, this report fails to adequately provide funding for 
culturally important organizations to encourage development in the 
field of arts. Both the National Endowment for Arts (NEA) and the 
National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) are funded at much less than 
the President's request of $150 million each. Conferees provided $115.7 
million for NEH and only $98 million for NEA. Without adequate funding, 
projects that focus on public education, understanding and appreciation 
of arts, including drama, music, art, and literature will face serious 
cutbacks.
  Mr. Speaker, I am frustrated and disappointed that this conference 
report contains numerous provisions that undermine environmental 
protections and funding for cultural programs and I urge my colleagues 
to oppose final passage. If this report passes, I urge the President to 
veto this legislation so that we may have another opportunity to 
correct this seriously flawed bill.

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