[Imc-newsroom] Fwd: Bush's budget and conservation

[Peter Miller]

>X-Sender: apcappar at mail.ilstu.edu
>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.3 (32)
>Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 11:44:33 -0600
>To: apcappar at merlin.ilstu.edu
>From: Angelo Capparella <apcappar at ilstu.edu>
>Subject: Bush's budget and conservation
>
>http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2002/2002L-02-04-06.html
>
>Bush Administration Unveils 2003 Budget
>
>By Cat Lazaroff
>
>WASHINGTON, DC, February 4, 2002 (ENS) - President George W. Bush has
>released his fiscal year 2003 budget, dramatically boosting military
>spending and slashing domestic programs. The $2.13 trillion spending plan
>represents 3.7 percent increase over the current year, but includes cuts in
>numerous programs, including conservation spending.
>
>The budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins October 1, includes a
>$48 billion raise for defense programs - the largest such increase in
>almost 20 years. Homeland security, a major budget priority since the
>terrorist attacks of September 11, would receive $37.7 billion, almost
>twice the budget for such programs last year.
>
>"My budget provides the resources to combat terrorism at home, to protect
>our people, and preserve our constitutional freedoms," Bush said in
>releasing the budget. "Our new Office of Homeland Security will coordinate
>the efforts of the federal government, the 50 states, the territories, the
>District of Columbia, and hundreds of local governments: all to produce a
>comprehensive and far reaching plan for securing America against terrorist
>attack."
>
>The Bush plan includes billions of dollars to combat bioterrorism through
>research, improvements to hospitals and public health systems, stockpiling
>vaccines and antibiotics, and protection against natural disease outbreaks.
>
>Despite a five fold reduction in the project 10 year budget surplus - from
>$5.6 trillion to $1 trillion - President Bush also proposes to make his
>$1.35 trillion, 10 year tax cut plan, passed last summer, a permanent
>budget fixture.
>
>"By curtailing unsuccessful programs and moderating the growth of spending
>in the rest of government," Bush said, "we can well afford to fight
>terrorism, take action to restore economic growth, and offer substantial
>increases in spending for improved performance at low income schools, key
>environmental programs, health care, science and technology research, and
>many other areas."
>
>To pay for these priorities, the Bush budget slashes spending for several
>environmental programs, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
>(EPA), which would lose $300 million in funding. As he did last year,
>President Bush proposes to reduce funding for centralized enforcement
>activities at EPA, shifting about $10 million to the states to support
>local environmental enforcement.
>
>In another repeat of last year's White House budget, Bush proposes to cut
>funding for water projects at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, largely by
>placing a moratorium on the launch of new projects. Certain navigation
>projects, including dredging and upgrading locks and dams, would get
>funding boosts, as would environmental restoration efforts in the Florida
>Everglades and Columbia River Basin.
>
>Bush plans to raise money by leasing out mineral rights to some public
>lands - including the North Slope of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in
>Alaska. Congress has so far blocked the administration's efforts to open
>the pristine refuge to oil and natural gas drilling.
>
>Spending increases for conservation including full funding - more than $900
>million - for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supported by
>offshore oil and natural gas leases. National parks operations would
>receive $1.58 billion under the Bush budget, up about $107.5 million from
>last year, and national wildlife refuge funding would rise by $54 million.
>
>One notable increase would be Bush's $100 million request for cooperative
>conservation efforts under a new program, The Cooperative Conservation
>Initiative (CCI). The initiative would encourage private landowners to
>implement conservation projects with public land managers and local
>communities.
>
>The Bush budget calls for raising money by opening part of the Arctic
>National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration (Photo courtesy Arctic
>National Wildlife Refuge)
>
>Half of the program's budget would be distributed to states to fund cost
>share grants for innovative conservation projects. The other $50 million
>would be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land
>Management and National Park Service to fund cost share grants.
>Bush says he remains committed to eliminating the National Park Service's
>$4.9 billion maintenance backlog by 2006, providing about $663 million in
>fiscal year 2003. But conservation groups say that figure is far too little
>to meet the agency's needs.
>
>The Bush plan proposes a spending deficit of $80 billion for 2003 - the
>first budget deficit since 1998 - and another, smaller deficit of $14
>billion in 2004. The administration projects that the federal government
>will overspend by $106 billion this year, largely due to vastly increased
>defense spending since September 11.