The Senate last week delayed consideration of the Interior Appropriations bill for FY '99. The Senate has corrupted the legislative process by loading it with special interest riders! If the Senate does take up the Interior bill again, we've listed the riders that TCS is fighting against.

Regardless of the riders, TCS opposes passage of the bill since it has become a Christmas tree laden with taxpayer giveaways

OIL ROYALTY RIDER

Extends a prohibition on the implementation of a reform rule by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) on royalty payments on oil pumped from public lands. If this rule is not implemented in FY99, taxpayers will lose another $66 million in royalty payments. Senator Boxer (CA) offered an amendment to delete the rider from the FY99 Interior Appropriations bill, which TCS supports.

IZEMBEK ROAD RIDER

Authorizes construction of a single-lane, gravel road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. The road's construction costs are estimated at $26 to $29 million and maintenance costs are $400,000 per year. The road would not provide a year-round transportation route, and other alternatives, such as a marine ambulance and improved clinics, have not been thoroughly studied.

MINING RIDER

Appropriates about $800,000 for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct duplicative studies on current hardrock mining regulations. It delays implementation of the Department of the Interior’s new hardrock mining regulations until the year 2000, even though current regulations have not been updated since 1981. The Bumpers amendment to delete this rider was defeated a few weeks ago.

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST RIDER

Establishes a production mandate of timber volume – even if only half of that timber can be sold. Regardless of market demand the US Forest Service (USFS) would have to lower the price of timber to sell it, even though it would mean less revenue and increased administrative cost. If the Forest Service does not offer a timber sale, this rider mandates that the communities in Southeast Alaska would receive 25% of potential revenue that the sale may have earned. These 25% payments are taken from the USFS budget, thereby punishing forest managers for not producing money-losing timber sales.

LOWER SNAKE RIVER RIDERS

States that none of the four dams on the Lower Snake River can ever be retired. This rider is bad for taxpayers and bad for salmon. Taxpayers are funding salmon recovery projects that do not work. The rider would lock the current failing system in place.

TRAPPERS LOOP ROAD:

Directs the Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to pay $15 million for construction of an access road from Trappers Loop Highway to the Snow Basin Ski Area. A privately owned ski resort in northern Utah, Snow Basin already received a sweet deal through a land exchange with the Forest Service. The road is justified as necessary for development prior to the 2002 Olympics. However, the road will also provide access to real estate unrelated to the resort and the Olympics. Taxpayers should not pay for construction and developments for private corporations.

STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS:

Allows the Forest Service to contract with private entities in National Forests for stewardship services that include the restoration of wildlife and fish habitat, noncommercial cutting and the control of exotic species. However, the rider provides for payment of the stewardship activities through the exchange of trees and opens the stewardship program to potential abuses by failing to provide for proper oversight of the work done by the private companies.