U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources
CONTACT: Allyson Groff or Blake Androff, 202-226-9019
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) today commended President Barack Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget suggestion for natural resources programs, as the White House embarks on a "New Era of Responsibility" for all Americans. The President's submitted budget for the Interior Department incorporates principles that have long been advocated by Chairman Rahall.
"Overall, President Obama's budget request is a crucial 1st step in reversing the previous Administration's wrong-headed backing priorities. That Administration consistently underestimated the deep and abiding love the American people have for their natural and cultural resources. Even during a time of significant budget challenges, the fact remains that our natural resources help to sustain all Americans, and adequate backing must be dedicated to their continued protection," Rahall said.
The President's suggestion places a major emphasis on ensuring that taxpayers gain a fair return for the extraction of oil and gas resources on public lands and presses wealthy oil companies to diligently develop the leases they already possess on the Outer Continental Shelf.
"Last Congress, I introduced legislation to reform the royalty collection program, encourage the diligent development of federal oil and gas leases, and require energy companies to pay their fair share for the use of public resources. I am heartened that the President's budget includes all of these initiatives, and also correctly identifies our public lands as an immense potential resource for the development and deployment of domestic alternative energy," Rahall said.
For several years, Chairman Rahall has been working to advance the FLAME Act, legislation to create a dedicated, reliable backing stream to cover the costs of catastrophic wildland fires, so that the Forest Service and Interior Department would no longer be forced to decimate other parts of their budgets to fund firefighting efforts on public lands. The President's budget follows suit by requesting $357 million for such a fund, which comports with Rahall's continued efforts to advance the FLAME Act.
The FY 2010 suggested budget provides increased backing for Countrywide Parks, as we near the centennial anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service in 2016, by requesting a $100 million increase in park operations.
"As the sponsor of legislation to prepare our Parks with the necessary backing in advance of the centennial, I know that those of us in the Congress who value Countrywide Parks look forward to working with the President to make sure our Countrywide Park System is prepared for its next 100 years," Rahall said.
As Western States and Indian tribes face severe drought, the President's suggested initiative acknowledges the need to invest in water conservation and reuse.
While the previous Administration precluded federal agencies from planning for and collecting the data needed to address the effects of climate change on public lands and natural resources, President Obama's suggested budget represents a welcome and much-needed change from that approach. The budget contains an increase of $130 million to help address the impact of climate change on wildlife.
"The Committee looks forward to working closely with the Administration to establish an integrated federal plan to address the impacts of climate change on our natural resources," Rahall said.
