Appropriations for FY2005: Interior and Related Agencies

Publication Date: March 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Banking and finance

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Abstract:

The Interior and related agencies appropriations bill includes funds for the Department of the Interior (DOI), except for the Bureau of Reclamation, and for some agencies or programs within three other departments — Agriculture, Energy, and Health and Human Services. It also funds numerous related agencies. H.R. 4568, the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY2005, was passed by the House (334-86) on June 17, 2004. The bill contained $20.03 billion. The Senate companion bill, S. 2804, was reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations (S.Rept. 108-341) on September 14, 2004 and would have provided $20.26 billion. Both the House passed and Senate committee-reported bills reflected an increase over the President’s FY2005 request ($19.69 billion), but a decrease from the FY2004 enacted level ($20.51 billion). Both FY2005 bills included $500 million for emergency firefighting for FY2005, with emergency funds available if certain conditions are met.

FY2005 appropriations for Interior and related agencies ultimately were included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2005 (P.L. 108-447; December 8, 2004). The law contains a total of $20.09 billion for Interior and related agencies, including $493.1 million for emergency firefighting if certain conditions are met. These figures reflect two across-the-board rescissions in the law, of 0.594% and 0.80%. The FY2005 total is a decrease of $424.6 million (2%) from the FY2004 level, but an increase of $403.3 million (2%) over the FY2005 request. Also, the FY2005 total is more than ($59.4 million, 0.3%) the House passed level, but less than ($167.3 million, 0.8%) the amount reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Prior to enactment of P.L. 108-447, a series of continuing resolutions were enacted to provide temporary funding for FY2005 for Interior and related agencies.

The House, Senate, and conference committee debated many controversial policy issues during consideration of FY2005 funding. They included the appropriate funding level for wildland fire fighting, land acquisition, and the arts; agency competitive sourcing activities; agency maintenance backlogs; Indian trust fund management; Outer Continental Shelf leasing; filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR); alteration of the Abandoned Mine Lands fund; snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park; management of wild horses and burros on federal lands; categorical exclusions for grazing on Forest Service lands; and Missouri River management. Other contentious provisions related to lands and resources in Alaska, such as development of roads in the Tongass National Forest (AK); challenges to logging projects in Alaska; and an exchange of lands in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (AK). Some of the controversial provisions (both general and Alaska related) were not enacted into law.