Subject:    The week ahead
Author: Bruce Hamilton
Date:       9/3/99 4:05 PM

 The Week Ahead -- Sept. 3, 1999

Congress is scheduled to reconvene after Labor Day.  September will be a
lively
month for action as the Oct 1 end of fiscal year deadline looms.


 HOUSE
 * scheduled to begin debate on the EPA FY 2000 spending bill on Wednesday
 September 8, with votes after 5pm.  Environmental program cuts and
anti-environmental riders a problem.

 * possibley begin debate on Rep. Shays R-CT & Meehan's D-MA campaign
finance
 reform bill (which the SC supports).  This could slip until the week of
Sept.
 13.


 SENATE
 * The Interior FY 2000 spending bill is expected to be one of the first
 orders of business on Wednesday. We expect this bill to be the first item
 taken up when the Senate reconvenes on Sept. 8.  The bill is scheduled to
be
 taken up at 1:00 pm.  Numerous anti-environmental riders.

 We expect the Robb/Cleland amendment to strike the Sec. 329 rider to be
among
 the first votes.  This rider affects management on all USFS and BLM lands.
We
 also expect that the Bryan amendment to cut logging funds and shift some
of
 the money into forest and clean water restoration

 * The Senate is expected to vote for cloture on the Transportation FY 2000

 spending bill on Thursday September 9.  If there is cloture, the bill
could
 come up that day with a possible vote on the Feinstein-Gorton CAFE
 resolution.  It is more likely, however, that the vote on Feinstein-Gorton

 occurs the week of Sept. 13.

 OUTSIDE
 * The Global Warming team is likely to conduct a press conference on
 Wednesday September 8 to release our poll numbers on the popularity of
 CAFE among GOPers and others in NH and other states.


 BACKGROUND INFO ON SENATE INTERIOR BILL
 Attached here is an edited excert from EESI explaining the bill in a bit
more
 detail:

 The bill has prompted a White House veto threat for its controversial
 environment-related provisions and low funding of administration-requested

 programs. In particular, the administration's "Lands Legacy" program -
which
 aims to bring $1 billion more in funding for land acquisition, state
 conservation programs, endangered species protection and other
preservation
 goals - only received $263 million in the Senate measure, according to a
 statement from the Office of Management and Budget issued July 26.

 "It would be short-sighted to gut the important Lands Legacy initiative,
 given the growing bipartisan recognition of the need for the federal
 government, the states and the private sector to protect open spaces and
 preserve America's great places," OMB said.

 In addition, the administration listed "some objectionable riders,"
including
 one reversing the Interior solicitor's opinion to reinforce mill site
limits
 to five acres per mining claim, which opponents say would change existing
 mining law without going through the proper legislative process.

 Other contentious provisions would extend the life of grazing permits
while
 the Bureau of Land Management reviews them, which opponents say would
exempt
 the permits from environmental laws; deny funding of national forest
 management plan revisions until permanent planning regulations are
completed,
 which critics say would prevent new science from being integrated into
plans;
 and impose a 120-day comment period for a report on the Interior Columbia
 Basin Ecosystem Management Project, which the administration says would
stall
 ICBEMP's conclusions by six months.

 Four other controversial provisions, which were dropped from the bill but
may
 be reintroduced in revised form later, would 1) ban funds from going to
 grizzly bear introduction in Idaho and Montana for FY '00 and beyond; 2)
 prohibit the issuance of prospecting permits for exploratory drilling in
the
 Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and prevent land from being
withdrawn
 from mineral activity, until a study is completed on the impacts of ending

 lead mining in that forest, Missouri and the surrounding states; 3) block
the
 administration from implementing new energy efficiency initiatives for
 federal facilities - language conservatives want in order to block moves
they
 say would implement the Kyoto climate treaty but that critics charge could

 hamper existing energy efficiency programs; and 4) extend from June 1,
1999,
 to June 30, 2001, the moratorium on implementation of the administration's

 new rule for valuation of crude oil royalties - the latest move in an
 extended battle over oil royalty payments.

 These provisions were removed after the Senate reinstated Rule 16, which
 restricts amendments on appropriations measures to those that do not
 instigate new authorizations. The four provisions did not comply to Rule
16
 but their authors have indicated they plan to rewrite the items so they do

 conform, and then may offer them again on the floor.

 Additional amendments that are anticipated to be offered include one that
 would allocate $30 million to the state side of the Land and Water
 Conservation Fund, which provides money for federal land acquisition along

 with matching grants to states for land purchases and conservation
planning;
 another that would fund the empty Urban Park and Recreation Recovery
program
 with $4 million; and a third that would cut funding from the Forest
Service's
 timber sale program and the roads reconstruction/construction account by
 $33.6 million and redirect the money toward debt reduction, road
maintenance,
 and fish and wildlife restoration.

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