The Honorable Todd Tiahrt

Opening Statement

Interior & Environment Appropriations

FY 2008 Full Committee Markup

June 7, 2007

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

As the Subcommittee's ranking Member, I'd like to begin my comments by
congratulating Chairman Dicks on his chairmanship of the Interior
Subcommittee. Each of you should know that this is not merely a job to
Norm, ***it is his passion***! Norm Dicks has been a member of this
subcommittee for 30 years and no one is more deserving of this
opportunity than he is. (Applause) Norm, I sure hope I don't have to
wait 30 years to serve as Chairman!

I also want to personally thank Chairman Dicks for the reasonable and
even-handed manner in which he has conducted the business of this
subcommittee. Our work together this year has been a bipartisan,
collaborative effort.

None of our work would have been possible this year without the hard
work of our professional staff on both sides of the aisle. I don't
believe these folks have had a weekend off since the beginning of the
year and probably won't until our bill clears the House floor. So, on
behalf of ***[all]{.underline}*** of our Committee Members, I believe a
word of thanks and praise is appropriate. (Applause)

Mr. Chairman, our budget hearings---all 38 of them---revealed many unmet
needs and urgent priorities. Still, while we have an obligation to be
good stewards of our environment and public lands for future
generations, we also have an obligation to be good stewards of our tax
dollars. In that respect, I believe this legislation falls short.

Let me say at the outset---and, if I may paraphrase our Chairman, Mr.
Obey---that ***I hold the Interior subcommittee 302(b) allocation***
***[in "minimal high regard]{.underline}***." Mr. Chairman, ***even
Archie the Cockroach*** would be squashed by the size of this
allocation!

The 302(b) allocation for this bill is \$27.6 billion, a \$1.9 billion
increase over the President's budget request and a \$1.2 billion
increase over the enacted fiscal year 2007 Interior bill. This
allocation goes beyond what I consider to be a reasonable, responsible
allocation for this bill.

The ***initial*** subcommittee allocation---which was \$858 million
above the FY07 enacted level---though very generous, would have resulted
in a better, more balanced bill. The additional \$335 million, added at
the last minute to the subcommittee's already charitable allocation, is
simply unnecessary and, more importantly,
***[unsustainable]{.underline}***.

No matter how well-intentioned, I believe this allocation will cause
many of the same problems down the road that this subcommittee has been
trying to resolve in recent years---namely, huge backlogs in operations
and maintenance.

It's like a homeowner who receives a big bonus and uses these extra
funds to buy ***a bigger house*** for his family. The bonus is welcome
and unexpected. Buying a bigger house seems like a great idea at the
time. But down the road, he realizes that he can't depend on getting a
bonus ***[every year]{.underline}*** and he finds himself unable to
afford living in his new house. He, like this subcommittee, risks
becoming overextended and unable to pay the bills.

It's human nature to want to create new programs, build new structures,
and buy new land. No one worries about the out-year costs to maintain
them.

Over the years, we have learned through good oversight that ***too
little money*** can do real harm. The same is true for ***too much
money***. I believe we should strive for **[b*alance*]{.underline}**.
And that's what our original allocation achieved.

***We ought*** to provide enough money to allow the agencies to carry
out their primary mission. ***We should*** focus on taking good care of
what we presently have in the public trust. ***We have*** to give
careful, thoughtful consideration before purchasing something new.
Again, ***we must*** strive for balance. Mr. Chairman, as we work
through this process, I hope we will be sensitive and responsive to this
challenge of seeking ***[balance]{.underline}*** in our bill.

Many areas within this bill have achieved balance. I do applaud the
Chairman's focus on the operating accounts within in this bill. We have
clearly seen an erosion in this area due in part to the absorption of
pay and fixed costs over the years.

However, I believe we should move more cautiously in providing funds for
new land acquisition and construction. While, there are high priority
needs in these areas, it is important that we focus on the core missions
of these agencies and not become over-extended. We risk creating a
larger problem down the road by hastily expanding current areas that we
cannot oversee or creating new ones we cannot maintain.

I believe most of you will recall that when Congress provided these
agencies too much funding, too quickly in the early to mid-1990's, they
lost focus. The result was huge backlogs, redundant programs, large
unobligated balances (many of which still remain), and numerous
operational shortfalls. Our job is to provide for core needs, be
vigilant about oversight, and avoid the mistakes of the past.

I recognize that Chairman Obey has a special place in his heart for the
great open spaces in our country. And, I know from personal experience
that Mr. Obey appreciates the grandeur of our National Parks. I join the
Chairman in supporting the \$198 million increase in the Operations
budget for the National Park Service.

I am also pleased with the needed attention this bill provides to Native
Americans. There are many unmet needs within Indian Country---in
education, health care, law enforcement, methamphetamine treatment, and
other areas---and this bill does a great deal to address these issues.

Chairman Dicks and I also felt it critically important to restore full
funding for the Urban Indian Health Clinics---and this bill does that.

While the Chairman's mark is positive in many respects, I would be
remiss if I didn't outline several areas where I would have written this
bill differently.

The fire season is upon us once again and it is appropriate that this
bill provides additional funding for wildfire preparedness at the Bureau
of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Our hearings this year
demonstrated that there is great interest---and great concern---over
this ongoing wildfire challenge which is presently consuming almost 45
percent of the Forest Service budget.

In light of the large subcommittee allocation, and the tremendous
anticipated need during this fire season, I think the subcommittee could
have done even more to address fire preparedness, particularly within
the state fire assistance account.

While reasonable people may disagree over the cause, there is clearly a
need for more focused science on Climate Change. I believe Chairman
Dicks would agree that our response to climate change must look at
long-term solutions rather than simply trying to provide a quick fix.
The USGS is the science agency for the Department of the Interior, and I
believe they should manage any additional funds directed to address this
issue for the Department.

While I have the greatest respect for Chairman Dicks, I am concerned
about including the Global Climate Change Sense of the Congress
resolution in this report. My concern is based on the simple fact that
it does not reflect the consensus opinion of the many climate change
experts who testified before our subcommittee this year. It proposes
conclusions and solutions to a problem that is not yet fully understood.
Historically, mandatory market-based limits have not worked.

I believe we need to make wise, science-based decisions rather than
merely respond to the heated rhetoric of the day. As one agency
scientist testified this year, our greatest need is to focus on the gaps
in credible scientific information.

Mr. Chairman, without understanding the complete scientific data, we
will be unable to solve the problems created by climate change. And, it
will create false hope to present bad solutions to the wrong problems.

As I said, I do have concerns about the levels of spending in this bill.
And, while I want our process to move forward, it is my hope that
between now and conference, we can seek bipartisan consensus on a
reasonable, ***[sustainable]{.underline}*** subcommittee allocation. I
remain grateful for your friendship and hope we can work together to
create a responsible, ***[balanced]{.underline}*** bill worthy of broad,
bipartisan support.