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House members press to increase refuge funding |
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A coalition of House members is trying to gather support for funding increases for the National Wildlife Refuge system, which they say would be on the "brink of collapse" under current levels.
Leaders of the "Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus," including Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), are circulating a "dear colleague" letter this week, asking members to join them in requesting $451.5 million for the refuge operations and maintenance budget this year.
The caucus, nearly one hundred members strong, formed last year to advocate for the refuges and press for funding increases.
"Hopefully, there will be more focus this session on the state of the refuges and what we can do," Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), one of the caucus co-chairs, said in an interview this week.
Kind said he is meeting with other members, administration officials and interested groups in an effort to gain momentum behind the funding increase.
There are 545 national wildlife refuges across the United States. The wide range of refuges and the diversity of groups interested in them -- including hunters, recreational fishers, bird watchers and "friends of the refuge" groups -- should help garner more interest among House members, Kind said.
"We have a natural political constituency," he said.
The Bush administration proposed a $12 million increase for refuges in its fiscal 2008 budget proposal. But the $394 million request still pales in comparison to the system's $1.5 billion maintenance backlog.
FWS chief Dale Hall has said the refuges are learning to "live with" the budget crunch and will operate in a more streamlined fashion.
The $451.5 million request would bring the refuge budget up to the equivalent, adjusted for inflation, of the all-time high it reached in its centennial year of 2004.
Since 2001, annual funding for refuges has increased by about $83 million, but the cost of operating and maintaining facilities have been far outpacing those increases. FWS says most of that money has gone to control invasive species, improve border security and meet maintenance needs.
In response, each FWS region has developed an operating plan to cut down on equipment and staff in the refuges. Those plans include cutting about 275 positions over the next three years -- close to one-fifth of the refuge workforce.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 October 2007 )
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