Interior trails and recreation budget passed by House

From the American Hiking Society

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES AUSTERE INTERIOR BILL; SENATE ACTION NEEDED

Last week the House Appropriations Committee approved a FY07 Interior Appropriations bill that includes both good and bad news for several programs related to trails and recreation. Although some programs received slight increases compared to last year's funding levels, many national park, forest, and other programs would actually lose ground and suffer from continued cutbacks in staff and services due to significant cost of living and inflationary pressures that have not been accounted for in years. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, a critical program that provides and protects hiking and recreation opportunities nationwide, was hit especially hard.

The House bill includes:

- National Park Service (NPS), Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program: $500,000 cut from FY 06, down to $7.7 million (equal to Administration request)

- Forest Service Recreation: $262 million (compared to Administration request of $250.8 million and FY 06 appropriation of $261.2 million)

- Forest Service Capital Improvement and Maintenance for Trails: $73.4 million (compared to Administration request of $60.3 million and FY 06 appropriation of $75 million)

- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation Management: $67 million (compared to $63.8 Administration request and FY 06 appropriation of $65 million). This includes a crucial $1 million increase to assist management of units of the National Landscape Conservation System.

- Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): Stateside LWCF - zero funding (equal to Administration request of zero funding and compared to FY 06 appropriation of $30 million); Federal LWCF - $58.8 million (compared to Administration request of $84 million and FY 06 appropriation of $115 million).

- National Scenic and Historic Trails - increased funding from FY 06 for operations, maintenance, and construction for several national trails administered by the NPS, Forest Service, and BLM.

Of note, the House bill does not include the Administration proposal to sell off federal lands to pay for rural schools and other programs, a plan strongly opposed by countless conservation and recreation organizations as well as many Members of Congress and Governors from both parties.

Thank you to all who contacted their Members of Congress to urge increased funding, help prevent even bigger cuts to many programs, and to oppose the sell-off of national forests and other public lands. Our work is not over, however. The Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee is still working on its version of the Interior Appropriations bill, so you can still contact your Senators and make your voice heard. After the Senate passes its bill in June or July, the House and Senate will then "conference" to reconcile the differences and pass a final bill in late summer or early fall.