21–888 

Calendar No. 134 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 109–86 

PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT 

JUNE 22, 2005.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. INHOFE, from the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 260] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 

referred a bill (S. 260) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 

provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to 

restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and 

wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with 

an amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

Since 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (‘‘Service’’) has administered the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to provide 

technical and financial assistance to private landowners to voluntarily restore wetlands and other fish and wildlife habitat on their 

land, making responsible stewardship possible and affordable for 

private landowners. Specifically, the Service provides landowners 

with biological information about their property, restoration designs, cost-sharing on materials and services, and construction supervision. To date, the program has operated without specific congressional authorization as a separate line-item under the Service’s 

budget. 

On August 26, 2004, President Bush signed Executive Order 

13352 (69 Fed.Reg. 52989 (2004)) promoting a new approach to 

conservation within the Federal Government’s conservation and environmental departments. This Executive Order was offered to enVerDate Aug 04 2004 23:45 Jun 23, 2005 Jkt 021888 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR086.XXX SR086
2 

sure that Federal agencies pursue cooperative conservation actions 

designed to involve private landowners. 

An exemplary model of this cooperative conservation initiative is 

the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. The Service reports 

that the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is ‘‘[its] primary 

mechanism for delivering voluntary on-the-ground habitat improvement projects on private lands for the benefit of Federal trust species.’’ (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Fish and Wildlife 

Management and Habitat Restoration, Land Use Management Series, Part 640: Management of Non-Owned Lands, September 24, 

2003). Through over 35,039 agreements with private landowners, 

the Partners Program has accomplished the restoration of over 

722,500 acres of wetlands, 1,573,700 acres of prairie and native 

grasslands, and nearly 5,900 miles of riparian and in-stream habitat to date. Partners Program agreements are funded through contributions from the Service along with cash and in-kind contributions from participating private landowners. 

The Partners Program leverages resources to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs for all of its projects. On average, the 

Service succeeds in leveraging resources approximately 3-to-1 (nonService to Service resources). 

OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATION

S. 260 provides specific congressional authorization for the first 

time for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program administered 

by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The bill would authorize $75 

million in fiscal years 2006 through 2011 for the Partners program. 

Currently, the Partners Program is funded only through a line item 

in annual appropriations measures pursuant to general grant making authority under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 

U.S.C. 661), the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a et. 

seq.), and the Partnerships for Wildlife Act (16 U.S.C. 3744). The 

bill is designed to highlight the private partnership and habitat 

conservation successes of the Partners Program. It also aims to 

provide the program with the added recognition and stability of 

congressional authorization. The bill encourages development of the 

Partners Program and is in no way intended to limit the technical 

and financial assistance that has historically been provided under 

the Partners Program. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that this Act may be cited as the ‘‘Partners 

for Fish and Wildlife Act.’’

Sec. 2. Findings and purpose 

This section enumerates congressional findings relevant to the 

Act and states the purpose of the Act. 

Sec. 3. Definitions 

This section provides definitions applicable in the Act. 

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Sec. 4. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program 

This section directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide 

technical and financial assistance for habitat establishment, improvement, restoration, and enhancement to participating private 

landowners by voluntary agreements through the Partners for Fish 

and Wildlife Program. This section also authorizes technical assistance through the Partners Program to other public and private entities. 

Sec. 5. Authorization of appropriations 

This section authorizes $75 million for each of fiscal years 2006 

through 2011 for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

On February 2, 2005, Senator James M. Inhofe introduced S. 

260, which was cosponsored by Senator James Jeffords, Senator 

Thad Cochran, and Senator Lincoln Chafee. The bill was referred 

to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. On 

April 22, 2005, the full committee held a field hearing on the bill. 

A full committee business meeting was held on June 8, 2005, and 

the committee unanimously ordered S. 260 to be reported to the 

full Senate as amended by a managers’ amendment sponsored by 

Senator Inhofe and Senator Jeffords. A companion piece of legislation, H.R. 2018, was introduced in the House of Representatives on 

April 28, 2005. 

HEARINGS

On April 22, 2005, the full committee held a field hearing on S. 

260 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The committee received testimony from 

Mr. H. Dale Hall, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Region 2), Mr. Jeff Neal, Mr. Verline Chervanka, Dr. Terry 

Birdwell, Mr. Hal McKnight, and Ms. Debbie Straughn. 

ROLLCALL VOTES

The Committee on Environment and Public Works met to consider S. 260 on June 8, 2005. The committee unanimously agreed 

to a managers’ amendment sponsored by Senator Inhofe and Senator Jeffords, and the committee unanimously approved S. 260 as 

amended, by voice vote. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the committee makes evaluation of the regulatory impact of the reported bill. 

The bill does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor 

will it cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of individuals. 

MANDATES ASSESSMENT

In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 

(Public Law 104–4), the committee finds that S. 260 would not impose Federal intergovernmental unfunded mandates on State, local, 

or tribal governments. 

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COST OF LEGISLATION

Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the reported bill, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be included in the report. That statement follows: 

S. 260, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act, As ordered reported by 

the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on 

June 8, 2005. 

Summary 

S. 260 would authorize appropriations for the Partners for Fish 

and Wildlife program. Assuming appropriation of the authorized 

amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 260 would cost $45 

million in 2006 and about $350 million over the 2006–2010 period. 

Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues. S. 

260 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 

defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would 

impose no costs on State, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated Cost to the Federal Government 

The estimated budgetary impact of S. 260 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment). 

S. 260 would authorize the appropriation of up to $75 million a 

year over the 2006–2011 period for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program. Through that program, the Department of the Interior provides financial and technical assistance to private landowners for conservation projects on their land. Based on historical 

spending patterns for the program, CBO estimates that fully funding it under S. 260 would cost $45 million in 2006 and $350 million 

over the 2006–2010 period, with additional spending (of about $100 

million) occurring in later years. 

By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars 

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 

SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Spending Under Current Law for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife 

Program.

Budget Authority1 ................................................................... 48 0 0 0 0 0 

Estimated Outlays .................................................................. 44 9 3 1 0 0 

Proposed Changes.

Authorization Level ................................................................. 0 75 75 75 75 75 

Estimated Outlays .................................................................. 0 45 77 76 76 76 

Spending Under S. 260 for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Authorization Level1 ................................................................ 48 75 75 75 75 75 

Estimated Outlays .................................................................. 44 54 80 77 76 76 

1The 2005 level is the amount appropriated for that year for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program. 

Intergovernmental and Private-sector Impact 

S. 260 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on State, local, or 

tribal governments. 

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Estimate Prepared By: Federal Costs: Megan Carroll; Impact on 

State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Marjorie Miller; Impact on 

the Private Sector: Craig Cammarata. 

Estimate Approved By: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

Section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate requires the committee to publish changes in existing law made by 

the bill as reported. Passage of this bill will make no changes to 

existing law. 

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