[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21262-21263]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             APPROPRIATIONS--INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the Interior 
Appropriations Bill for fiscal 2001 and our efforts here in the Senate 
to enact the Conservation and Reinvestment Act to provide permanent 
funding for land, water, and wildlife conservation programs in this 
nation.
  With the passage of the Interior Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 
2001, we have taken a step in the right direction toward providing a 
permanent conservation fund for this nation--but it is only a step.
  The Interior Appropriations bill funds many important programs and 
projects in Arkansas including refurbishing the historic Hot Springs 
National Park Bathhouses, constructing a visitors center at the White 
River National Wildlife Refuge, and funding needed construction and 
maintenance at recreation areas in the Ouachita National Forest.
  The bill also increases the funding for the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund, Payments in Lieu of Taxes, Urban and Historic 
Preservation programs, State Conservation grants. And needed funding 
for tackling the maintenance backlog in our nation's park system. But 
it leaves many of the programs that we have pushed for in the 
Conservation and Reinvestment Act out completely. Specifically, it 
leaves

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out a permanent stream of funding for wildlife conservation and 
education programs.
  By establishing a permanent funding source for state based wildlife 
programs, we can take steps now to prevent species from becoming 
endangered. This would enable us not only to conserve the significant 
cultural heritage of wildlife enjoyment for the people of this country, 
but also to avoid the substantial costs associated with recovery for 
endangered species. In fact, all 50 states would benefit as a result of 
the important link between these wildlife education-based initiatives 
and the benefits of wildlife-related tourism.
  CARA also would have provided a permanent funding source for rural 
community assistance and development funds, historic preservation, 
urban parks, conservation easements, and restoration of National Parks. 
These provisions would annually provide almost $3 billion nationwide 
for land, water, and wildlife conservation programs and include over 
$25 million in funding for Arkansas.
  The 2001 Interior Appropriations bill is an important step toward 
providing for the conservation of this nation's land, water, and 
wildlife, but we can do so much more. We must not let this opportunity 
slip away to enact what may well be the most significant conservation 
effort of the century. I strongly urge my colleagues to continue to 
work toward passage of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act.

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