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Record funding urged for the environment
Bush's budget includes millions for Utah projects
By Lee Davidson
Deseret Morning News
WASHINGTON — As Democratic presidential candidates daily attack President Bush's environmental record, Bush unveiled a 2005 budget Monday that would spend the most ever on the environment and natural resource programs: $46.9 billion. That would be an increase of 3 percent in environmental-related areas over 2004 and includes tens of millions of dollars specifically for Utah dams, aqueducts, campgrounds and visitor centers on public lands. "With the president's budget, we can pick up the pace — protecting our land, cleaning our air and cleansing our water — efficiently, effectively and without impairing the economy," said EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt, the former Utah governor.
Environmental groups said, however, that the budget does not keep up with inflation or counts programs not truly related to the environment as helping nature. So, National Environmental Trust President Philip E. Clapp said, "Anyone surprised that the president's budget vastly cuts environmental programs probably believes Justin Timberlake when he says it was a 'wardrobe malfunction,' " referring to Timberlake's disrobing of Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Of Utah interest, the budget contains $46.3 million toward completion of the Central Utah Project, a vast system of dams and aqueducts designed to bring water from the Uinta Basin to the Wasatch Front. That includes $28.4 million for construction of CUP water features — ranging from continuing construction on the Diamond Fork aqueduct system to finishing environmental review documents of facilities to deliver water to lands in the Utah Lake drainage basin. It includes $15.5 million for CUP fish, wildlife, recreation mitigation and conservation projects.
The budget also includes $6 million to continue construction of safety enhancements at the Deer Creek Dam on the Provo River and $1.4 million to continue similar work on Pineview Dam on the Ogden River.
The budget also proposes $1.53 million to construct or improve U.S. Bureau of Land Management facilities in Utah.
That includes $560,000 to refurbish the visitors center and other buildings at the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry; $509,000 to build a new 60-unit Hell Roaring Rims Campground adjacent to Canyonlands National Park; to build a new campground at the Wedge Overlook Site; and to install toilets at Brown's Park, Massey Junction and Buck Canyon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget also includes $115,000 to design seismic safety rehabilitation of six buildings at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. But one item cut in the FWS budget was $99,000 to continue prairie dog conservation efforts out of an FWS office in Cedar City.
The overall budget includes numerous nationwide initiatives to begin or expand other programs to help the environment. That includes proposing $21 million — more than doubling the amount spent this year — for the Bush administration's new "Water 2025" initiative, designed to help local water users in the West avoid future water wars and shortages by planning together now to meet growth and such demands as endangered species protection. "It gives us seed money . . . but when you take $20 million and spread it over 17 Western states it starts to get pretty small," said John Keys, the Utahn who is commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees much of the program. But he said, for example, "We're looking for cooperatives out there like Salt Lake County and the (CUP) district and us to get together to do something."
Another environmental-related initiative is a 28 percent, $58 million increase for hazardous fuels reduction in forests. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, whose department includes the U.S. Forest Service, said it will help "make our forest healthier, our communities safe and wildfires less destructive."
Other initiatives include a 28-percent, $53 million increase to restore abandoned mine lands; and $1.1 billion to help reduce a backlog of maintenance work in national parks.
At Leavitt's EPA, the budget includes such things as $210 million for brownfields cleanup (up 24 percent); $1.4 billion for Superfund cleanup (up 10 percent); $4.4 billion for EPA's core enforcement and research activities (up 1 percent); and $45 million (a four-fold increase) to reduce toxics entering the Great Lakes. Leavitt said the budget shows, "We are adopting better ways — facilitating collaboration, harnessing technology, creating market incentives — and we are committed to measuring progress, not process."
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said, "The president's proposed budget would enable us to develop stronger conservation partnerships with states, tribes, local communities and citizens to develop healthy lands, thriving communities and dynamic economies."
Bureau of Land Management Director Kathleen Clarke, another Utahn, said the budget supports "cooperative conservation projects and promotes citizen-based stewardship of the public lands. This will advance the vision of President Bush and Secretary Norton to empower citizens to do what the government cannot do alone."
Bush's budget includes millions for Utah projects
By Lee Davidson
Deseret Morning News
WASHINGTON — As Democratic presidential candidates daily attack President Bush's environmental record, Bush unveiled a 2005 budget Monday that would spend the most ever on the environment and natural resource programs: $46.9 billion. That would be an increase of 3 percent in environmental-related areas over 2004 and includes tens of millions of dollars specifically for Utah dams, aqueducts, campgrounds and visitor centers on public lands. "With the president's budget, we can pick up the pace — protecting our land, cleaning our air and cleansing our water — efficiently, effectively and without impairing the economy," said EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt, the former Utah governor.
Environmental groups said, however, that the budget does not keep up with inflation or counts programs not truly related to the environment as helping nature. So, National Environmental Trust President Philip E. Clapp said, "Anyone surprised that the president's budget vastly cuts environmental programs probably believes Justin Timberlake when he says it was a 'wardrobe malfunction,' " referring to Timberlake's disrobing of Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Of Utah interest, the budget contains $46.3 million toward completion of the Central Utah Project, a vast system of dams and aqueducts designed to bring water from the Uinta Basin to the Wasatch Front. That includes $28.4 million for construction of CUP water features — ranging from continuing construction on the Diamond Fork aqueduct system to finishing environmental review documents of facilities to deliver water to lands in the Utah Lake drainage basin. It includes $15.5 million for CUP fish, wildlife, recreation mitigation and conservation projects.
The budget also includes $6 million to continue construction of safety enhancements at the Deer Creek Dam on the Provo River and $1.4 million to continue similar work on Pineview Dam on the Ogden River.
The budget also proposes $1.53 million to construct or improve U.S. Bureau of Land Management facilities in Utah.
That includes $560,000 to refurbish the visitors center and other buildings at the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry; $509,000 to build a new 60-unit Hell Roaring Rims Campground adjacent to Canyonlands National Park; to build a new campground at the Wedge Overlook Site; and to install toilets at Brown's Park, Massey Junction and Buck Canyon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget also includes $115,000 to design seismic safety rehabilitation of six buildings at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. But one item cut in the FWS budget was $99,000 to continue prairie dog conservation efforts out of an FWS office in Cedar City.
The overall budget includes numerous nationwide initiatives to begin or expand other programs to help the environment. That includes proposing $21 million — more than doubling the amount spent this year — for the Bush administration's new "Water 2025" initiative, designed to help local water users in the West avoid future water wars and shortages by planning together now to meet growth and such demands as endangered species protection. "It gives us seed money . . . but when you take $20 million and spread it over 17 Western states it starts to get pretty small," said John Keys, the Utahn who is commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees much of the program. But he said, for example, "We're looking for cooperatives out there like Salt Lake County and the (CUP) district and us to get together to do something."
Another environmental-related initiative is a 28 percent, $58 million increase for hazardous fuels reduction in forests. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, whose department includes the U.S. Forest Service, said it will help "make our forest healthier, our communities safe and wildfires less destructive."
Other initiatives include a 28-percent, $53 million increase to restore abandoned mine lands; and $1.1 billion to help reduce a backlog of maintenance work in national parks.
At Leavitt's EPA, the budget includes such things as $210 million for brownfields cleanup (up 24 percent); $1.4 billion for Superfund cleanup (up 10 percent); $4.4 billion for EPA's core enforcement and research activities (up 1 percent); and $45 million (a four-fold increase) to reduce toxics entering the Great Lakes. Leavitt said the budget shows, "We are adopting better ways — facilitating collaboration, harnessing technology, creating market incentives — and we are committed to measuring progress, not process."
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said, "The president's proposed budget would enable us to develop stronger conservation partnerships with states, tribes, local communities and citizens to develop healthy lands, thriving communities and dynamic economies."
Bureau of Land Management Director Kathleen Clarke, another Utahn, said the budget supports "cooperative conservation projects and promotes citizen-based stewardship of the public lands. This will advance the vision of President Bush and Secretary Norton to empower citizens to do what the government cannot do alone."
