Overview of President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request

On February 1, 2010, President Obama submitted a proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2011 to Congress. This marks the beginning of the annual budget and appropriations process in Congress. The following summarizes elements of the proposed budget that relate to League priorities across a range of issues, including agricultural conservation, clean water, fish and wildlife, public lands, renewable energy, river ecosystems, and sustainable development.

Agricultural Conservation

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) reduces soil erosion, protects water quality, and enhances habitat through long-term contracts with landowners that convert highly-erodible cropland to more sustainable vegetative cover. The administration’s budget is positive for CRP because it proposes to allow landowners to enroll up to 4 million acres in FY 2011. After the 2008 Farm Bill reduced the overall acreage limit for CRP from 39.2 million to 32 million acres— coupled with the fact that no new land was included in CRP in fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009—the commitment made to once again allow farmers and ranchers to protect their most sensitive lands and most important habitat is especially welcome.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) – The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) provides technical and financial assistance to landowners to restore and protect wetlands on their properties. Wetlands are generally conserved through permanent or 30-year easements purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, the president proposes to cut funding for WRP by $111 million compared to the amount Congress provided in FY 2010. This translates into a 15,000-acre reduction in wetlands that can be protected through WRP in FY 2011. The League opposes this cut and urges Congress to provide higher funding as specified in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) – The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) focuses on limiting conversion of pasture and other grasslands to cropland or development while allowing landowners to continue grazing and other operations that align with this goal. The president’s budget also proposes to cut more than 183,000 acres from GRP in FY 2011 and beyond. Again, the League opposes this reduction because it will undermine efforts to protect one of the country’s most threatened natural resources.

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a comprehensive approach to conserving soil, water, and other natural resources across a range of lands, including cropland, prairie, and forests. CSP makes conservation the basis for a producer to receive federal financial support rather than limitless subsidies for intensive production of a few crops. It is troubling that the administration is proposing to cut CSP funding by $70 million, which would reduce the number of acres that could be enrolled by 770,000 in FY 2011. The League opposes this cut because CSP is a comprehensive, whole-farm approach to conservation that can maximize benefits to natural resources, fish and wildlife, and producers alike.

Clean Water Infrastructure – The administration requests nearly $3.3 billion to upgrade and modernize waste water and drinking water treatment systems nationwide. This request marks a continued commitment to improving water quality by providing states, cities, and towns with funding, for example, to repair and construct sewage treatment plants. The League supports this request.

Great Lakes Restoration – The president requests $300 million to continue an initiative launched in FY 2010 to restore the Great Lakes. This request builds on the $475 million Congress appropriated for the current fiscal year. Funding supports efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, states, localities, and nonprofit groups to tackle some of the most pressing problems in the region, including contaminated sediment, invasive species, and habitat degradation and loss. The League urges Congress to provide at least $300 million to advance this critical initiative, especially when numerous studies estimate that $5 billion is required to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Chesapeake Bay Recovery – The budget requests nearly $63 million, which is $13 million more than appropriated for FY 2010, for the Chesapeake Bay. The EPA explains that additional funding will help to implement the president’s executive order on Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration and to develop an enforceable pollution limit for the Bay. As pollution reduction and water quality goals continue to go unmet throughout the region, the League supports this request.

Non-point Source Pollution Control – The administration requests $200 million for grants that support state efforts to control and reduce non-point source pollution. Non-point source pollution, including run-off from lawns, fields, and parking lots, is the greatest threat to water quality nationwide. The League strongly supports efforts to address this problem, and urges Congress to provide at least the amount requested.

National Wildlife Refuges – The budget requests $499 million – approximately $3.3 million less than the current fiscal year – to operate and maintain 551 national wildlife refuges across the country. National wildlife refuges conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitat, provide incredible opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation, and support local economic growth. This request stalls momentum generated by Congress over the past 3 years to invest in refuges and fails to cover the cost of inflation, which erodes the refuge system budget by at least $15 million annually. As a member of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), the League supports increasing the refuge system budget to $578 million in FY 2011. This amount will cover inflation and help to ensure that the refuge system can provide high-quality visitor services, effectively manage fish, wildlife, and habitat, and begin to reduce a $3.6 billion operations and maintenance backlog.

State Wildlife Action Plans – The budget requests $90 million – equal to the FY 2010 appropriation – for State Wildlife Action Grants. These grants help states and tribes to conserve a broad array of wildlife, including non-game species, based on priorities they established in State Wildlife Action Plans. The League supports this request.

Open Fields – The budget requests approximately $16.7 million for the Open Fields program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Open Fields, which the League helped to include in the 2008 Farm Bill, provides funding to states with programs that support access to private lands for hunting and fishing. The League supports this request.

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) – The president requests nearly $620 million – $140 million more than the FY 2010 appropriation – for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). According to the administration, this proposed funding level keeps it on track to meet its goal of fully funding the LWCF at $900 million in FY 2014. LWCF funds would be allocated to the Departments of Interior and Agriculture for land acquisition across national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other federal public lands, and to support outdoor recreation at the state and local levels. At the League’s 2008 national convention, delegates adopted a resolution supporting full funding for LWCF – a goal shared by the Obama administration.

National Forests – The Forest Service’s total budget would increase slightly from $5.32 billion in FY 2010 to $5.38 billion in FY 2011. The budget would refocus Forest Service resources to support watershed and ecosystem improvement efforts, including decommissioning unnecessary and crumbling roads and wildlife habitat restoration. The Service requests an additional $5 million to develop travel management plans that govern off-highway vehicle (OHV) use across national forests. Based on years of work to improve OHV management and highlight the negative impacts that unregulated use has on hunters, anglers, fish and wildlife, and other natural resources, the League supports this increase. The League also supports the proposal to increase funding for managing wilderness and wild and scenic rivers by $803,000 to a total of nearly $51 million. This increase would be focused on improving management of more than 60 wilderness areas.

Solar, Wind and Next Generation Vehicles Research – The budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy includes significant increases for renewable energy research and development (R&D). Specifically, the budget requests the following: $302 million for solar, up $82 million compared to the FY 2010 appropriation; $123 million for wind, up $43 million from the FY 2010 level; and $325 million for next generation vehicles, an increase of $14 million compared to FY 2010. These investments support private sector and university R&D that bring new technologies to market and continue to drive down the cost of generating electricity from solar and wind. As a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency issues, the League supports these requests along with continued investment in R&D focused on the next generation of bio-fuels.

River Restoration

Missouri River Restoration – The president requests $78.4 million for the Missouri River Recovery Program, which is about $22 million more than Congress appropriated for FY 2010. The Recovery Program, which the League actively supports through its Missouri River Initiative, focuses on habitat and other river restoration projects supporting recovery of the pallid sturgeon, interior least tern, and piping plover, which are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. These projects also produce great benefits for other fish and wildlife. Although the Recovery Program is beginning to make tangible progress on the ground, much more work needs to be done. With this in mind, the League strongly supports the president’s request for additional investment.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration – For the Upper Mississippi River, the budget requests more than $21 million for the Environmental Management Program (EMP). The EMP focuses exclusively on implementing and evaluating restoration projects. As a leader in protecting the Upper Mississippi since the 1920s, the League supports this request and is working to significantly expand restoration throughout the region.

Sustainable Development

In our interconnected environment, how natural resources are used, managed, and protected half-way around the world often impacts us here at home. And rapid population growth in the world’s poorest countries is frequently one of the most significant threats to natural resources and the environment. Growing families clearing forests to grow food contribute to deforestation and millions of fishermen with small boats and nets deplete fish that migrate worldwide. Improved access to health care, family planning information, education, and economic development opportunities all contribute to smaller families.

The Obama administration is proposing $715.7 million for bilateral and multilateral international family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) assistance—a $67 million or a 10 percent increase above the $648.5 million that Congress appropriated in FY 2010 in the omnibus spending bill, just approved in mid-December.  The proposed increase is especially significant in light of the difficult economic and budgetary climate.