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110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 110–187 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND 

RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATION BILL, 2008 

JUNE 22, 2007.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. DICKS of Washington, from the Committee on Appropriations, 

submitted the following 

SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT 

[To accompany H.R. 2643] 

The Committee on Appropriations submits the following additional report in explanation of H.R. 2643, making appropriations 

for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection 

Agency, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 

30, 2008. This report augments, but does not replace, instructions 

and guidance provided in House Report 110–187, the initial report 

filed by the Committee on this bill on June 11, 2007. With this new 

report, the Committee has updated its recommendations to give direction to agencies regarding funding for specific projects and to 

comply with clause 9 of rule XXI as it relates to transparency requirements when projects have been requested by Members of Congress. It also includes Committee recommendations related to 

projects requested by the executive branch as part of the President’s fiscal year 2008 budget. 

In allocating the funds made available by this bill for various 

agencies and appropriations accounts, the Committee directs that 

the following projects be funded: 


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EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH PROJECTS

Compliance with Rules of the House.—The list of projects provided above is submitted in compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, which requires publication of a complete list of projects included in the bill which result 

principally from requests of Members of the House of Representatives. In addition the list includes projects of a similar character 

which are funded in the bill and which have been requested in the 

President’s Budget for fiscal year 2008. 

Projects.—The Committee notes that the Congress has made significant reforms in the way it reviews funding for the Federal government, reforms which the Committee takes very seriously as it 

executes its constitutional authority. Earmarking or directed 

spending of Federal dollars does not begin with Congress. It begins 

with the Executive Branch. For example, the list included above 

lists 92 specific land acquisition or construction projects which have 

been submitted by the Administration. The Administration, in selecting these projects, goes through a process that is the functional 

equivalent of earmarking. When the Committee reviews the budget 

request, it goes through a process of rigorous review and may alter 

or modify this list to reflect additional priorities. 

Contractors.—The Executive Branch also engages in another 

practice which steers or directs money to specific entities or purposes through a process of contracting out various activities and 

services. In many important work locations, the number of people 

working for contractors exceeds the number of Federal employees 

in the same building or location. Many of these, in fact, are noncompetitive or sole-sourced. When added together, the Executive 

Branch steers or directs far greater spending to specific projects or 

corporations than is directed or earmarked by Congress. And the 

practice of non-competitive contracting has exploded in the past 

five years. For example, the Department of the Interior reported to 

the Committee that the value of contracts awarded through processes that were ‘‘not fully and openly competitive’’ increased from 

$26 million in 2000 to $167 million in 2005. 

Æ 


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