[BCNnet] Not Good News on CARA

[Donald R. Dann]

BCN friends:

The Federal Parks and Recreation publication has come out with the
following.  CARA may be one more casualty of the tax cut.

Donald R. Dann
Highland Park/Lake County
donniebird@yahoo.com

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FEDERAL PARKS & RECREATION is published by Resources Publishing Co.,
1010 Vermont Ave., N.W., Suite 708, Washington, D.C. 20005.  EIN
52-6172989.  Phone (202) 638-7529.  FAX (202) 393-2075.  E-mail
coffinj@clark.net.  Website http://www.plnfpr.com.
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In this issue. . .
CARA MAY BE TRAPPED BY BUDGET.  GOP leaders may keep bill from House
floor to avoid new spending in a time of tight budgets.
Page 4




CARA MAY BE TRAPPED BY NEW BUDGET DISPUTE IN HOUSE
The hot political dispute over the federal budget apparently is taking a
toll on CARA, the bill designed to lock in $3 billion per year for
conservation.

After the CARA bill (HR 701), for Conservation and Reinvestment Act, was
passed by the House Resources Committee by an overwhelming 29-to-12 margin
July 25 full House passage was presumed to be a mere formality.

But with the fiscal 2002 discretionary budget now in deficit the situation
has changed.  Reportedly, the House leadership doesn't want to be in the
business of locking into the budget $3 billion per year of conservation
spending when Social Security funds are being tapped to run the government.

No one will say for the record that CARA has been shunted aside.  But House
Republican sources note that HR 701 is not scheduled for House action in
September, and that there are no guarantees it will come up before Congress
is scheduled to end the session October 5.  "There is discomfiture because
of the budget," allowed one source.

In addition both Democratic and Republican House and Senate appropriators
allegedly will not let HR 701 become law.  "From my perspective Obey, Norm
Dicks, Byrd and Stevens have said, 'You can't eat out of both sides of your
mouth.  That's why we came through with
CARA-lite.'"  Obey is ranking House Appropriations Committee Democrat David
Obey (Wis.), Dicks is ranking House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior
Democrat Norman Dicks (Wash.), Byrd is Senate Appropriations Committee
Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Stevens is ranking Senate Appropriations
Committee Republican Ted Stevens (Alaska).

CARA-lite is a six-year program established in a fiscal year 2001 Interior
Appropriations bill that provides a near-guarantee of $1.6 billion-plus per
year for many of the same programs funded by CARA. Those programs include
the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an Urban
Park and Recreation Recovery program and a Wildlife Conservation Fund.

Most Democrats and Republicans have been forecasting that HR 701 will have
a smooth trip through the House, given the strong committee vote. In
addition HR 701 is sponsored by 237 of 435 House members.  All that
optimism crashed when the Congressional Budget Office last week projected
the fiscal 2002 discretionary federal budget would have to borrow money
from the Social Security Fund to stay solvent. The big obstacle in front of
CARA had been presumed to be the Senate where a filibuster from just one
senator can force supporters to round up 60 votes to put a measure on the
Senate floor.  Two Senate bills have been introduced.  Sen. Mary Landrieu
(D-La.) introduced a version of the House committee bill August 2 as S
1328.  And Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced August 2 a bill (S
1318) that closely resembles HR 701.

In a related development the Bush administration at press time still had
not submitted its position on HR 701 to the House committee.  The
administration did not have testimony prepared when the committee held a
hearing on the bill June 20 but committee chairman James Hansen (R-Utah)
said at the time the Interior Department "will provide written testimony."

Most observers assume the Bush administration will pass on the issue if it
can to avoid a Hobson's choice.  If it endorses CARA, it will offend its
rock-ribbed conservation [sic.] base.  But it doesn't endorse CARA, it will
feed critics who say the administration neglects the environment.

Under these circumstances, there are no guarantees the CARA will come up
before the Congressional session is scheduled to end. Under these
circumstances ALL members of Congress have to hear that CARA is vital for
the future of birds, wildlife, and wild places.





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