Pete Domenici: “I rise to explain the need for a reallocation in funding authority for the Appropriations Committee that is being filed…”

“I rise to explain the need for a reallocation in funding authority for the Appropriations Committee that is being filed today. I regret that this reallocation is necessary because it was avoidable. Section 205 of the fiscal year 1998 budget resolution provided for the allocation of $700 million in budget authority for Federal land acquisitions and to finalize priority land exchanges upon the reporting of a bill that included such funding. The Senate-reported Interior appropriations bill included this funding in title V. As chairman of the Budget Committee, I allocated these funds to the Appropriations Committee, which in turn provided them to the Interior Subcommittee. If the conferees had adopted the Senate language, I would not be here withdrawing this funding allocation. However, the conferees modified the Senate language to provide only $699 million for land acquisitions, and to expand the use of these funds for the following purposes: Critical maintenance activities are added as an allowable activity under this title V funding; Ten million dollars is provided for a payment to Humboldt County, CA, as part of the Headwaters land acquisition; and Twelve million dollars is provided for repair and maintenance of the Beartooth Highway as part of the Crown Butte/New World Mine land acquisition.”