The Interior-Environment appropriations bill allocates yearly funding for many federal environment and natural resource programs that protect our public lands, wildlife, air, and water, and safeguard communities from toxic pollution. In addition, the Interior-Environment appropriations bill has become an important vehicle for making advances in addressing climate change.

H.R. 2996, the FY 2010 bill as passed by the House, continues to make significant progress in reviving programs devastated by many years of starvation budgets, providing a total of $32.3 billion, $4.7 billion (17%) more than the FY 2009 level. The bill provided significant funding in a number of areas including: $420 million for global climate change; $3.9 billion for clean drinking water and wastewater; $667 million to protect great bodies of water such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay; $1.5 billion to clean up dangerous toxic waste; $383 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy; and significant increases for wildlife conservation and for the operations of our national forests, wildlife refuges, parks, monuments, and other public lands.

In addition, the report accompanying the bill included constructive direction for developing a comprehensive national strategy to assist fish, wildlife, and ecosystems in adapting to global warming; for ensuring sustainable populations of fish and wildlife as renewable energy development is expanded; and for defining national strategies and goals for land acquisition consistent with agency missions and responding to climate change.

On June 26, H.R. 2996 passed by a vote of 254-173 (House roll call vote 475). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The conference report on the Interior-Environment appropriations bill was passed by both chambers and signed into law by the President on October 30.