The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2018 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill on a vote of 30-21. The legislation includes funding for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and various independent and related agencies.

In total, the bill provides $31.4 billion, $824 million below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level and $4.3 billion above the President’s budget request. These funds are targeted to important investments in the nation’s natural resources, including $3.4 billion for the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service to prevent and combat devastating wildfires. The legislation also contains several policy provisions to rein in harmful and unnecessary regulations at the EPA and other agencies.

“This legislation responsibly supports the agencies and offices we rely on to preserve our natural resources for future generations, and prioritizes our limited funding to programs that protect environmental safety, such as the Chemical Safety Board. Further, the Committee’s vigorous oversight has identified opportunities to rein in the federal bureaucracy and to stop many harmful and unnecessary regulations that destroy economic opportunity and hinder job creation,” House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said.

“The agencies funded in the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill do important work protecting public lands, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Our subcommittee prioritized proven programs that have a meaningful impact to achieve these goals while also ensuring our economy can continue to grow. I’m particularly pleased that we were able to provide significant funding for our increasingly popular National Parks and the Clean Diesel program, and ensure the development of the USGS earthquake early warning system can continue,” Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert said.

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full committee today:

Rep. Calvert – The Manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

Rep. Harris -- The amendment limits funds for activities related to wind turbines less than 24 nautical miles from the State of Maryland shoreline. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

Rep. Aderholt -- The amendment changes bill language requiring that all iron and steel used in water infrastructure projects be sourced within the United States. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

Rep. Stewart – The amendment makes changes to bill language regarding the management of wild horses and burros.  The amendment was adopted on a voice vote. 

The bill was approved on a vote of 30-21.

For a summary of the bill, please visit:

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394981

For the text of the bill, please visit:

https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fy18_interior_xml.pdf

For the bill report, please visit:

https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23918.pdf