Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 6147 the Interior, Environment, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19). Alaska Congressman Don Young secured a number of amendments to the legislation that benefit Alaska. This bill provides $58.675 billion in total discretionary budget authority for agencies within the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act and the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. This includes $35.252 billion for the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies and $24.423 billion for the financial services and general government provisions.
Placer Mining
“Alaska has a long history of placer mining operations, which began in the early 1800’s, and continue today,” said Congressman Young. “In fact, Alaska is one of the only places that still has placer mining operations and while these operations are small – they represent a robust industry in Alaska and provide hundreds of jobs while contributing to the growth of rural Alaskan communities. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Fortymile Plan, finalized in the last days of the previous administration, upended decades of successful placer mining land management in the Fortymile Planning Area. This Plan imposed an overly complex framework on placer mining. The Fortymile miners had already agreed to environmental remediation standards, and these changes add an increased financial burden.”
Watch Congressman Young’s remarks here.
Congressman Young continued, “The BLM has made it very difficult for the mom and pop placer mining operations in Alaska to continue their work. My amendment to this year’s Interior Appropriation bill would prohibit funds from being used by the BLM to change its existing placer mining plans of operation with regard to re-vegetation.”
This amendment was approved by the House by a voice vote.
Native American Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Assistance Program
“This program supports critical economic development in Native communities around the nation, which face significant barriers to accessing basic financial services and capital. For example, almost all Alaska Native villages in my state do not have banks and are not connected to the road system,” said Congressman Young. “The Native Program provides financial assistance and technical assistance awards on a competitive basis to Native CDFIs, allowing them to effectively build wealth and further economic self-determination in Native communities. These mission-driven Native organizations are working to finance businesses, create jobs, expand and improve affordable housing options, and much more.”
Watch Congressman Young’s remarks here.
Congressman Young continued, “The Native program accounts for a small portion of the Fund’s overall budget but has a significant positive impact, which includes empowering Alaska Natives to improve their economic wellbeing in my home state. Without my amendment, a cut to the Native program in FY 2019 would be especially devastating to our nation’s impoverished and underserved Native communities.”
This amendment was approved by the House by a voice vote.
H.R. 6147 passed out of the House by a vote of 217-199.
Background
Floor Amendments Congressman Young Secured
Placer Mining amendment
Congressman Young’s amendment will prohibit funds from being used by BLM to change its existing placer mining plans of operations with regard to remediation. The BLM Fortymile Resource Management Plan (Fortymile Plan), finalized in the last days of the previous administration, upended decades of successful land management in the Fortymile Planning Area. The Fortymile Plan imposed an overly complex regulatory framework on small-scale placer mining operations, as part of an effort to discourage such activity in the area. The Fortymile miners previously agreed to environmental remediation standards, and under the new Plan they are expected to reclaim land that they have not mined and mitigate in ways they did not agree to in their approved operation plans. They are expected to remediate land that was impacted by placer mining over the past 100 years, which adds to their financial burden and makes it economically impractical for miners to continue their operations. The Fortymile Plan is unnecessary and over burdensome to small mining operations, and has already caused disruptions in the region.
Native CDFI amendment
Congressman Young’s amendment will restore full funding for the Native American CDFI Assistance Program. The CDFI Fund’s Native Initiatives, including the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program, were launched in 2001 to help Native communities overcome these barriers by supporting the creation and expansion of Native CDFIs. The NACA Program provides Financial Assistance (FA) and Technical Assistance (TA) awards on a competitive basis to Native CDFIs, allowing them to effectively build wealth and economic self-determination in Native communities. Since the launch of NACA, the number of certified Native CDFIs has grown from 7 to 73 with still more organizations seeking certification. It is critical that the NACA program is adequately funded to support the work of established and emerging Native CDFIs. This amendment is supported by the Native CDFI Network and Alaska Growth Capital BIDCO, Alaska’s first Business Development Corporation (BIDCO).
Language Congressman Young Secured in the Bill
Revenue Sharing language
Congressman Young worked to secure language that provides 3% revenue sharing with Alaska Native Corporations for funds collected from Congressionally approved resource development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Last year when Congress was considering the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Alaska delegation pushed to include the revenue sharing provision in the ANWR language, but due to a Senate parliamentary rule, it was not in the final bill. Congressman Young worked with Senators Murkowski and Sullivan to ensure that Alaska Natives benefit from this funding, which reflects the principles of revenue sharing established in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA). Passing this provision fulfills the commitment to Alaska Natives and reflects the original intent of the language in the tax bill, which was structured, including a significant increase in royalty revenues, to accommodate this addition. The 3% non-federal share will support the health and well-being of Alaska Natives and reflects a long-standing agreement between the Alaska Delegation and the Alaska Native community along with input from the State. The revenue sharing agreement was always intended to be structured in this manner; the State of Alaska has understood this dynamic and has anticipated a 47% non-federal share. In total, Alaska stands to receive billions of dollars from the non-federal share, which is crucial to reinvigorating the state’s economy. Click here to read the letters of support for this provision.
Alaska Relevant Provisions:
- $3.6 billion to State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) – $20 million will be set aside for grants to Alaska to address drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs of villages and rural communities.
- $500 million for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) – PILT program eligibility is reserved for local governments that contain non-taxable Federal lands within their boundaries and seeks to compensate local governments for the inability to collect property taxes on Federally-owned land.
- $22 million for the Alaska Land Conveyance Program.
- $63.6 million for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants – This provides grants to State Fish and Wildlife agencies to develop and implement programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat.
- $32.8 million for the Volcano Hazards Program.
- Assist Timber sales – Included a longstanding provision to ensure economically viable red cedar timber sales in Alaska.
- $3 million for wildfire operations.
- $14.9 million for the Johnson O’Malley Program – The program supports Native education in public schools.
- $18 million for Village Built Clinics – These funds will be used for all village-built clinics across the state.
- $105.1 million for Tribal Colleges and Universities.
- $247 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for Contract Support Costs.
- $822.2 million for the Indian Health Service (IHS) for Contract Support Costs.
- $280 million for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) – Earlier in 2018, Alaska received HIDTA designation.
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