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ANEP Update

March 2002

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

FY 2003 Appropriations: House and Senate appropriators on the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittees (VA/HUD Subcommittee) hope to mark up legislation on the EPA's FY 2003 budget proposal in May. The spending bills, however, may not make it out of the full Appropriations Committees until June or July, similar to last year. Both the House and Senate recently held hearings on EPA's budget proposal. During the House VA/HUD Subcommittee hearing Chairman James Walsh (R-NY) stated that the FY 2003 EPA budget proposal was one of the most realistic proposals he'd seen in years, but deciding what to do about the approximately $430 million of congressional earmarks not included in the FY 2003 EPA budget proposal will be very controversial. The Members typically restore the earmarks, but the Bush Administration has stated it is particularly focused on fiscal constraint this year due to little or no budget surplus, and because resources are needed for homeland security and overseas military operations. House and Senate staff are currently circulating letters for Member signatures requesting a $35 million appropriation for the National Estuary Program (compared to the $19.25 million FY 2003 request and $22.5 million FY 2002 appropriation).

FY 2003 Proposed Targeted Watersheds Project: EPA has proposed a $21 million Targeted Watersheds Project in its FY 2003 budget. In a recent congressional hearing, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman stated that, assuming Congress funds the proposal, grants would go to 20 local watershed associations for modeling and monitoring their watersheds. Administrator Whitman also stated that EPA will send letters to all 50 U.S. governors soliciting further recommendations and ideas on how to develop and implement the program. If funded, EPA plans to select watersheds this winter and begin disbursing grants next summer.

Legislation moves on Clean Water State Revolving Fund: On March 20, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed H.R. 3930, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2002, which reauthorizes the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. This bill authorizes $14 billion in assistance over the next five years, continues to authorize SRF assistance to go to NEP projects, and additionally authorizes assistance to go to certain watershed projects. Water Resources Subcommittee Chairman John Duncan (R-TN) hopes the bill will be ready for President Bush to sign by the end of this legislative session. The bill must also be passed by the House Ways and Means Committee; the Commerce Committee will address drinking water state revolving fund issues in a separate vehicle. The Senate plans to mark up a similar bill, S. 1961, in the next several weeks. In its FY 2003 budget, EPA stated it would like to determine how to direct more SRF assistance to the NEPs. For more information contact CarrieJelsma@aol.com


NEP NEWS

The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program recently initiated a public-private partnership with Reliant Energy, a provider of electricity and energy services to wholesale and retail customers in the U.S. and Western Europe. Based in Houston Texas, Reliant is the owner/operator of the local Port St. John electrical power plant located on the Indian River Lagoon in northern Brevard County. Reliant's Resource Foundation has made a $5,000 donation to the IRL Program to support a worthy project within the Lagoon. This funding is being applied towards the Brevard County WAV (Watershed Action Volunteers), Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program to purchase additional recycling bins, printing educational posters and pamphlets, and pay for public service announcements on the local television cable network. The monofilament recovery program in Brevard has been so successful, that the program is being exported to other counties throughout the state of Florida. Reliant Energy has also established a good working relationship with the Galveston Bay NEP in Texas and has contributed funding, in-kind and volunteer assistance on several habitat improvement projects with this Texas NEP.

The Assateague State Park and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program will be sponsoring the fifth annual canoe cleanup of the Sinepuxent Bay behind Assateague on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. State and federal parks are holding the event as part of National Trails Day celebrated nationwide. Trail workshops, educational hikes and fitness events will be held in parks across the U.S. For information call Dave Wilson at (410) 213-2297.

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project recently completed three grant rounds to fund projects that help implement Actions within its Management Plan. The Local Grants Program awarded funding to 5 projects that provide community-based education, technical assistance, and stewardship. Projects include natural resource mapping, stormdrain stenciling, and shellfish outreach. The Land and Habitat Protection Grant Program awarded funds to 6 projects that will help identify and protect critical natural resources. Projects include a General Fund to provide assistance to groups conducting land protection projects, and land protection technical assistance for municipal officials and landowners. 3 grants were awarded under NHEP's Special Grant Program. These projects are tied directly to specific NHEP Management Plan Actions and include septic system outreach, freshwater wetland restoration, and impervious surface estimates for regions within the coastal watershed.   The grants were awarded to a range of constituents including educational institutions, municipalities, local non-profit organizations, and state agencies. Additionally, NHEP awarded funding to 4 municipalities to conduct stormwater infrastructure mapping.

The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership is awarding $50,000 in mini grant funds to five projects. The projects include: a water quality effectiveness monitoring study for $9,825.00; a tide gate replacement project for $8,600.00; a high school environmental education program for $9,500.00; a community volunteer monitoring program for $8,075; and a high school environmental monitoring program for $14,000.00. Over the past five years, the Estuary Partnership has awarded over $350,000 to 37 projects in the lower Columbia River. Awards this year are going to: the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce to purchase two continuous water quality monitors to track changes in water quality from replacing antiquated tide gates; the North Coast Watershed Association to remove a tide gate on Hanson Creek to increase connectivity and allow juvenile salmonids access to previously unavailable habitat; the Wahkiaikum High School to continue an existing highly successful program designed to involve as many kids as possible in environmentally related studies; the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center to continue working with students conduct water quality monitoring streams in the Vancouver area; and the Astoria H. S. to purchase computers, cameras, skiff, trailer and electric motor to carry out ecosystem monitoring.

As part of the Mobile Bay NEP's evolution, the program entered the implementation phase and developed an exciting new alliance. Governor Don Siegelman, State of Alabama, approved an agreement on March 1, 2002 between the Mobile Bay NEP, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. A Memorandum of Agreement between these three organizations was signed in a ceremony hosted by the Alabama State Port Authority (one of the Policy Committee members). This alliance will significantly improve the management, protection and enhancement of Alabama's coastal resources. Under the agreement the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will partner with the Mobile Bay NEP to implement their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Mobile Bay and Mobile -Tensaw River Delta. Also on March 1, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab became the host institution and fiscal agent for the Mobile Bay NEP.

1) The Charlotte Harbor NEP held a successful 3-day Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summit on February 7-9, 2002. A technical symposium was held Thursday and Friday with sessions focused on water quality, hydrology/minimum flows and levels, fish and wildlife research and restoration activities. A public conference was held on Saturday. 2) Every year since 1999 mini-grant applications and research and restoration partners' proposals have been solicited. This year, 12 of the 29 mini-grant applications received and 6 of the 10 research proposals received will be initiated. From 1996 to 2001, the Charlotte Harbor NEP has funded 58 projects throughout the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed. A directory of projects is available on the program web site at www.charlotteharbornep.org.

Tillamook County's acquisition of a key river delta property late last year marked the first major step in a project to restore more than 300 acres of tidal wetlands around the southern end of Tillamook Bay. The 154-acre purchase, negotiated by the Trust for Public Land, came after Tillamook County Commissioners voted unanimously in November '01 to approve the deal. The commissioners also authorized the Tillamook County Performance Partnership to move ahead with plans to purchase additional lands and conservation easements covering about 200 acres of wetlands on adjacent properties. The properties are on a diked peninsula where the Trask and Wilson rivers enter Tillamook Bay. A management plan developed by a local advisory committee calls for breaching levees to return the area to tidal wetlands. A new levee would be constructed at the upper end of the peninsula to protect upstream lands from tidal flooding. Restoring tidal wetlands is one of the top priorities of the CCMP completed in 1999 by the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership. The Tillamook County Performance Partnership is working to implement the plan. For information contact Rich Felley at rfelley@co.tillamook.or.us

The Center for the Inland Bays (CIB) is teaming with Ruddertowne, a Dewey Beach "hotspot", to bring the First Delaware Music Festival to the Inland Bays resort communities. Twenty-five Delaware bands and musicians will be providing entertainment on four stages from 5 p.m. until midnight on Saturday, April 13, 2002.

The Albemarle-Pamlico NEP held a day-long seminar on March 15, '02 focusing on the issue of water supply in northeastern NC. The Water Supply Seminar was developed in response to concern expressed by APNEP's Roanoke and Neuse Regional Councils (RCs) of citizens. Experts in the fields of groundwater hydrology, aquifer interface of fresh and salt water, wellhead protection, interbasin transfers, assimilative capacity, water quality and rural water supplies, gathered in Greenville, NC. Private sector representatives (PCS Phosphate and Eagle Water Co.) also participated, presenting a proposal centered on making fresh water captured during the dewatering of phosphate mines, available to localities whose water supplies are dwindling.