[BCNnet] CARA Update

[Donald Dann]

BCN friends:  I had posted this earlier but because BCNnet was down it
didn't get through.  >
>
> Here's a great step in this year's effort to make CARA law.  There
> are more
> hurdles, as in 2000, including passage in the full House, the Senate,
> and
> approval by the President but this gives great momentum to our effort
> to
> give to wildlife and wildlands the help they desperately need.
>
> Donald R. Dann
> Highland Park/Lake Cty
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Naomi Edelson [mailto:nedelson@sso.org]
> Sent:	Wednesday, July 25, 2001 3:05 PM
> To:	teaming@sso.org
> Subject:	Press Release: HISTORIC CONSERVATION FUNDING BILL PASSES
> MAJOR
> LANDMARK IN US HOUSE
>
>
> International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
> (Organized July 20, 1902)
> Hall of the States
> 444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 544, Washington, DC 20001
> (202) 624-7890 - Telephone      (202) 624-7891 - Fax
> R. Max Peterson, Executive Vice President
>
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> ATTENTION: National Desk/Environmental Reporter/Outdoor Writer
>
>                         CONTACT:    Naomi Edelson/Gideon Lachman
>   Phone: (202) 624-7890
>     Email: teaming@sso.org
>     Web site: www.iafwa.org or www.teaming.com
>
>
>
>
> HISTORIC CONSERVATION FUNDING BILL PASSES MAJOR LANDMARK IN US HOUSE
>
>
> WASHINGTON, July 25  The bipartisan Conservation and Reinvestment Act
> (CARA,
> H.R. 701) passed a major milestone today when the House Resources
> Committee
> voted 29-12 to report this historic conservation legislation to the
> full
> U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.  CARA proposes to
> reinvest
> $3.1 billion, a portion of the revenues from federal offshore oil and
> gas,
> into state-based wildlife conservation, coastal conservation and
> impact
> assistance, historic preservation, urban parks and the Land and Water
> Conservation Fund.
>
> "CARA is the most important wildlife conservation funding legislation
> in
> decades," stated Robert McDowell, president, International
> Association of
> Fish and Wildlife Agencies and director of New Jersey Division of
> Fish and
> Wildlife.  "CARA will provide state fish and wildlife agencies the
> financial
> resources to get ahead of the curve and prevent species from becoming
> endangered.  For this reason, CARA is the top legislative priority of
> every
> state and territorial fish and wildlife agency."
>
> CARA now has 237 cosponsors, evidence of a groundswell of grassroots
> support
> and the dedication of CARA's champions in the House.  An
> unprecedented
> coalition of over 6000 organizations, businesses, and elected
> officials
> including governors, mayors, and county officials has generated
> tremendous
> support for CARA across the nation.  House Resources Committee
> Chairman
> James V. Hansen (R-UT) and Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) have
> effectively moved CARA through the Committee and, once again, CARA
> will be
> on the agenda of the full House.
>
> "We thank CARA's Congressional champions  Hansen, Rahall, Don Young
> (R-AK),
> George Miller (D-CA), Billy Tauzin (R-LA), John Dingell (D-MI), Chris
> John
> (D-LA) and others  for recognizing what this conservation legislation
> means
> for the long term health and abundance for our nation's wildlife,"
> said R.
> Max Peterson, Executive Vice President of the International
> Association of
> Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA).
>
> "Now we call on the House Leadership to quickly schedule a floor vote
> for
> CARA," said Peterson.  "Passage by the House of CARA this fall would
> move
> this vital legislation to the Senate and CARA's much needed wildlife
> funding
> could be available as soon as next year."
>
> CARA passed the House by an overwhelming 3:1 majority last year.
> Then, in
> spite of a letter signed by 63 Senators urging Senate action, CARA
> did not
> reach the Senate floor before the end of the Congressional session.
>
> "Passage of CARA in the House last year signified an unprecedented
> commitment by the Congress to the conservation and restoration of our
> precious wildlife, lands, and coastal areas.  We expect Congress to
> uphold
> their commitment and give us another victory this fall" said
> Peterson.
>
> "State wildlife agencies have the expertise, the will, and, with
> CARA's
> assured funding, the resources to build on successes which have made
> our
> system of fish and wildlife conservation the model other countries
> seek to
> emulate," said McDowell.
>
> Congress first recognized and acted on the need for state-level
> wildlife
> conservation funding in 1937 with passage of the Pittman-Robertson
> Act and
> again in 1950 with the Dingell-Johnson and in 1984 with the
> Wallop-Breaux
> Act to provide assured funding to the states for game and sport fish
> species.
>
> CARA is especially important for non-game wildlife conservation
> efforts
> which lack an adequate and reliable funding source in most states.
> CARA
> will annually provide $350 million dedicated to state wildlife
> programs
> through CARA's Title III.  States sorely need this funding to reverse
> alarming declines in wildlife species before they become endangered.
> These
> funds will save taxpayers money by avoiding the high costs of
> recovery
> efforts as well as assuring an economic future for nature-based
> tourism and
> the outdoor recreation industry.
>
> "CARA is a bipartisan, consensus-built, common sense approach to
> conservation that makes good economic sense, good ecological sense,
> and good
> political sense," McDowell said.
>
> The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, founded
> in
> 1902, is a non-profit organization serving all 50 state fish and
> wildlife
> agencies in the conservation and management of North America's fish
> and
> wildlife.
>
> For additional information on the Conservation and Reinvestment Act,
> visit
> www.iafwa.org or www.teaming.com,   www.house.gov/resources/ocs or
> contact
> IAFWA at Tel: (202) 624-7890. To receive IAFWA news releases and tip
> sheets
> online, email teaming@sso.org, please type 'Get News Online' in the
> subject
> line and include your name and news affiliation.  For bill summary
> and
> status, including a list of current CARA cosponsors, visit the
> Library of
> Congress Web site (http://thomas.loc.gov).
>
>
> Naomi Edelson
> International Assn. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
> 444 N. Capitol St., NW



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