HOUSE PASSES DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS ACT
(Washington, DC) – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 6147, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
LaMalfa said: “This funding measure passed by the House today funds critical infrastructure programs and reins in overreaching policies by the EPA and other agencies. This includes language prohibiting the Army Corps from regulating normal farming activities exempt under the law, as well as a full repeal of the WOTUS rule. Since the federal government owns such a large portion of the land in Northern California and across the West, this legislation allocates tax dollars for PILT in order to make up for budget shortfalls in rural communities. I also authored language in the bill to increase funding to jumpstart the process of eradicating illegal marijuana grows on federally owned lands, which pose a great danger to surrounding communities. I’m pleased the House has passed another important appropriations measure that will benefit our economy – the Senate should adopt it.”
Highlights of H.R. 6147 include:
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Reins in the EPA’s regulatory overreach by reducing regulatory unnecessary programs by $228 million.
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$3.9 billion for the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service to fight wildfires.
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Fully repeals the damaging Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.
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Provides $500 million for Payment in Lieu of Taxes, (PILT) which directs funds to local governments to fulfill budget shortfalls created by nontaxable federal lands.
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$75 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program to leverage federal dollars to finance more than $8 billion in water infrastructure projects.
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$5.9 billion for the Indian Health Service.
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$3.1 billion for the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Indian Education.
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$5.5 million in funding to recover and delist threatened and endangered species within the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Rep. LaMalfa also included an amendment in the bill that increases funding ($4.5 million) to the National Forest System account for purposes of eradicating, enforcing, and remediating illegal marijuana grow operations on National Forest System land. LaMalfa spoke on the House floor in support of his amendment:
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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