Update,  25 July 2000 - Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passes CARA, 13-7
Update, December 2000 - CARA stalled in the Senate; "CARA Lite" in Interior Appropriations bill
TWW Steering Committee agress to try again in 2001

Whatever happened to Teaming with Wildlife?

Teaming with Wildlife (TWW) was a national campaign to prevent species from becoming endangered and to nurture a new generation of wildlife stewards by securing funding for state-level nongame wildlife conservation and related education and recreation programs. Led by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a national legislative initiative was developed.  It was designed to provide much-needed funding for nongame wildlife conservation along with related education activities, and for recreational programs.

TWW originally proposed to fund these goals by extending the existing user fee on hunting and fishing gear to additional outdoor gear used by birders, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. The original approach proposed to address these needs by expanding the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs. These programs provide dedicated funds for state-level conservation work through a user fee, in the form of a small excise tax, included in the purchase price of hunting and fishing equipment. TWW proposed to broaden these user fees to include a wider range of outdoor recreation products. Revenues generated by this expanded user fee would have provided states with dedicated funding for conservation of fish and wildlife species not hunted or fished or endangered, outdoor recreation and conservation education projects. This original TWW user fee funding mechanism received broad support from a national coalition of 3,000 organizations and businesses, but has been met with considerable opposition in Congress.

For a closer look at the original TWW proposal, visit the TWW website at http://www.teaming.com

TWW takes on a new form...

Members of Congress recognized the need for funding these programs and proposed to address the goals of TWW with an alternative funding solution in the Conservation and Reinvestment Act and the Reinvestment and Environmental Restoration Act, introduced in October 1998. This promising legislation may offer a way around the deadlock.  The 105th Congress (1997-1998)  responded to the TWW coalition's call for action by introducing legislation in October 1998 to meet the goals of TWW though with a different funding source.

Known as the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), S.25 (H.R. 701 in the House) would dedicate a portion of federal income from offshore oil and natural gas leases for a variety of purposes, including the goals of TWW (See Conservation and Reinvestment Act).

• Title I creates a revenue sharing and coastal conservation fund for coastal states and eligible local governments to mitigate the various impacts of OCS activities and provide funds for the conservation of our coastal ecosystems. These funds will support sustainable development of nonrenewable resources without providing incentives for new oil and gas development.
• Title II guarantees stable and annual funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at its authorized $900 million level. This dedicated funding would provide for both the state and federal programs included in the LWCF, while protecting the rights of private property owners.
• Title III, through the successful program of Pittman-Robertson, reinvests the development of nonrenewable resources into a renewable resource of wildlife conservation and education. This new source of funding will nearly double the Federal funds available for wildlife conservation.
• Title IV provides matching grants to local governments to rehabilitate recreation areas and facilities, provides for the development of improved recreation programs, sites and facilities.
• Title V provides funding for the programs of the Historic Preservation Act, including grants to the States, maintaining the National Register of Historic Places, and administering numerous historic preservation programs.
• Title VI provides funding for a coordinated program on Federal and Indian lands to restore degraded lands, protect resources that are threatened with degradation, and protect public health and safety.
• Title VII provides annual and dedicated funding for conservation easements and funding for landowner incentives to aid in the recovery of endangered and threatened species. Up to $200 million of the annual interest generated from the CARA Fund will match, dollar for dollar, the amount appropriated during the Congressional Appropriations process.

No legislation is perfect, and CARA is no exception.  Some environmental and conservation groups have expressed concerns about some aspects of the legislation, and there are also some who object to the use of monies obtained from the depletion of natural resources, and especially from projects that have created environmental problems.  The TWW website addresses these issues, and also answers commonly asked questions about CARA.

A note about names, nicknames, and acronyms:  CARA is often referred to as "the OCS legislation" because it involves revenue from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Update on CARA: In September and October 2000, CARA stalled in the Senate despite sponsorship by 63 Senators. While Senate leadership refused to bring CARA to the full Senate for a vote, Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA) created "CARA-Lite" - a weak approximation of CARA that did little more than add funding to the Interior Appropriations bill. It gave less than half of the overall CARA package for less than half the time. The wildlife portion offered less than 15% of the original CARA, and these funds will now go to competitive grants to the states rather than stable, multi-year funding.  All funding after the first year is subject to the annual appropriations process. Formally known as the Lands Trust funding provision, the measure was not endorsed by the coalition supporting CARA. "We want to dispel any confusion," the coalition statement said. "The Lands Trust package is not a substitute for CARA."

In response,  the national coalition launched the "Great Wildlife Rescue," a campaign to ensure that dedicated funding for wildlife will be passed by the 106th Congress in its final days. Despite the thousands of faxes to the Senate and the President to pass CARA, Congress adjourned without voting on CARA. Instead, the Interior appropriations funding package was passed.

Details of this funding are as follows:

The six year Land Conservation, Preservation and Infrastructure Improvement program provides increased funding for the first year of this program, fiscal year 2001. This action recognizes land conservation and related activities as critical National priorities and provides a mechanism to guarantee significantly increased funding for critical land acquisition and other land protection programs. This program is not mandatory and does not guarantee annual appropriations. The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations have discretion in the amounts to be appropriated each year, subject to certain maximum limits specified in the bill. The program is authorized for a period of six years. Extension beyond six years is a decision that is left to future Congresses.

The new program created by this title, in addition to augmenting funding for land conservation and preservation tools, also recognizes the need to address critical maintenance problems on our Federal lands and permits the use of a portion of fiscal year 2001 funding and future years' funding for the most critical problems -in our parks, refuges, forests and other public lands. Likewise, a portion of funding for payments in lieu of taxes are permitted and these funds are in addition to base funding under the Bureau of Land Management in title I.

Part A: Fiscal year 2001 funding. = The conference agreement provides for total maximum funding of $1,600,000,000 for the first year of the six-year Land Conservation, Preservation and Infrastructure Improvement program. It includes appropriations totaling $1,200,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 for programs in the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. The $1,200,000,000 is approximately triple the historic funding for such activities. This includes $686,000,000 for activities in this title to augment the $514,000,000 for such activities provided in other titles of the Interior bill.

The remaining $400,000,000, which is authorized herein; is for programs under the jurisdiction of the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee, including the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery program, and will be considered in that bill.

Congress expects the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a cost-shared, competitively-awarded, project-based program for the use
of State wildlife grant funding and to present their proposal to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations for review and approval prior to the use of any funds for these grants. The funds should not be distributed on a formula basis and every effort should be made to leverage Federal funding to the maximum extent possible. The managers point to the joint venture program as a good model to pursue.

Congress expects the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with the Stares to develop wildlife conservation plans. Congress does not object to the use of a portion of the funds provided for state wildlife grants for such required plans, subject to cost sharing by the Stares. Each State plan should meet requirements that are established by the Service. Each plan should provide for the conservation of the State's full array of wildlife and their habitats, with emphasis placed on those species conservation efforts that are most underfunded and have the greatest conservation need. The Service shall not provide a grant to any State unless the State has, or commits to develop by a mutually agreed date certain, the required plan.

These amounts are set aside and automatically available under the Budget Resolution each year for Land Conservation, Preservation and
Infrastructure Improvement programs but are subject to annual appropriations. The exact amount and the distribution among programs will be set in annual appropriation bills based on need and program performance.

In addition, the U.S. Congress included in their final spending bill a new $50 million appropriation to state fish and wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation and related recreation and education programs. The funding is part of the 2001 Commerce, Justice, and State Departments (CJS) appropriations measure. This new grant program is a result of efforts of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and others in seeking passage of one of the titles of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act.

The CJS bill will provide funds directly to the states in 2001 via a formula based on land area and population. It provides priority funding for species with the greatest conservation need, as determined by the states. Although the appropriation is only for one year, the distribution formula and priorities in the bill will serve as a foundation for future funding.

TWW Steering Committee agrees to try again ...

 The Teaming with Wildlife (TWW) National Steering Committee met in November 2000 and reaffirmed its commitment to continue working for permanent funding for state-based wildlife conservation and widlife-related education and recreation. While the Steering Committee was disappointed that the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) was not enacted in the 106th Congress, they feel that they can build upon the substantial support in the next Congress. The Steering Committee also expressed its deep appreciation to the broad-based, grassroots coalition that is absolutely essential for wildlife conservation efforts, both in the immediate past and for the future. Although the Coalition did not achieve its ultimate goal - passage of CARA - the TWW
efforts led to: the appropriation of $50 million in new state wildlife grants funding, and an additional $50 million for wildlife allocated directly to the states; increases in other conservation programs including North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Land and Water Conservation Fund, coastal conservation, endangered species conservation, and others; raised tremendous awareness of the need for state-level wildlife conservation, education and recreation; built a coalition unprecedented in its size and diversity  - 5000 conservation and related organizations and businesses, 50 governors, 1100 mayors, numerous editorial boards that represents the support of millions of Americans; and established excellent and ongoing relationships with key Members of Congress that are important for future CARA efforts and other wildlife conservation legislation. See the IAFWA's Teaming with Wildlife web site (<www.teaming.com>) for information on how to contact members of the Steering Committee.

Meanwhile, the lead sponsors of the big conservation bill known as CARA fully intend to reintroduce it early in the next Congress.  Exactly how the legislation would proceed is not clear at this point.. Sponsors may try to move a bill by itself or they may try to revise a truncated version of a conservation bill that was enacted this year, Congressional sources say.  Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) will again take the lead in the House. Although Young and company have not settled on the details yet they intend to build on the HR 701 of the 106th Congress. It would authorize $3 billion per year for a dozen conservation programs for the foreseeable future. In the Senate, Republican staff members have talked of an attempt to enact the guts of CARA by amending a truncated version of a conservation bill included in the fiscal year 2001 Interior appropriations bill (PL 106-291 of October 11.) That law establishes a six-year program at roughly two-thirds of the CARA level, but it requires an annual appropriation. HR 701 would guarantee funding each year. Committee chairman Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) is once again expected to be the lead sponsor.
 

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