This week, the House Appropriations Committee released the Interior Subcommittee draft bill, containing several key provisions of importance to California’s rural counties.  While complete details have not yet been unveiled, report language will be released when the full committee votes on the bill.  

Preliminary highlights of the bill include:

Federal Payments to Local Communities: Provides $480 million for the Federal “Payment In Lieu of Taxes” (PILT) program.  Federal PILT provides funding to local governments to help offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal lands within their counties.  Without congressional action, many rural communities would face huge budget shortfalls impacting public safety, education, and other local government responsibilities.  RCRC continues to advocate for a long-term reauthorization of the Federal PILT program.

Waters of the United States (WOTUS): Preventing the EPA from spending money on implementation of the final WOTUS rule.

Wildland Firefighting and Prevention: Funds wildland firefighting and prevention programs at $3.9 billion – fully funding the 10-year average for wildland fire suppression costs for both the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service.  When accounting for a previous, one-time payment within last year’s funding bill, the legislation provides $243 million above the fiscal year 2016 level.  The legislation also includes $575 million for hazardous fuels management, which is $30 million above the fiscal year 2016 level.

Lead in Drinking Water: To help address the ongoing problem of lead in drinking water across the U.S., which can cause dangerous health risks, the bill provides additional legal authority allowing states to provide debt relief in areas with elevated levels of lead in drinking water.  The bill also provides targeted increases for water infrastructure programs, such as:

 

  • $2.1 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), including an increase of $207 million over the current level for the Drinking Water SRF;
  • $50 million for the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (WIFIA) program; - $109.7 million for state grants, a $7.7 million increase above the current level, to improve operations and oversight of drinking water systems; and,
  • $6.5 million, the full requested amount, for integrated planning activities within EPA’s Office of Water to assist communities as they plan to replace pipes.

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): Provides $322 million for LWCF programs, a reduction of $128 million below the fiscal year 2016 level and $153 million below the President’s request. State and local recreation and battlefield preservation programs are prioritized, while federal land acquisition is reduced.