Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2018 Appropriations

Contents

• Introduction
• Overview of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations
• Title I. Department of the Interior
• Title II. Environmental Protection Agency
• Title III. Related Agencies
• FY2018 Appropriations
• Components of President Trump's Request
• FY2018 President Trump's Request Compared with FY2017 Enacted Appropriations
• FY2018 House Appropriations Committee Reported Bill (H.R. 3354)
• Compared with FY2017 Appropriations
• Compared with FY2018 President's Request

Summary

The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes funding for approximately 30 agencies and entities. They include most of the Department of the Interior (DOI) as well as agencies within other departments, such as the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill also provides funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arts and cultural agencies, and other entities. At issue for Congress is determining the amount, terms, and conditions of funding for FY2018 for agencies and programs within the bill.

For FY2018, President Trump requested $27.26 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. For the DOI agencies in Title I of the bill, the request was $10.62 billion, or 38.9% of the total requested. For EPA, funded in Title II of the bill, the request was $5.66 billion, or 20.7% of the total. For the roughly 20 agencies and other entities funded in Title III of the bill, the request was $10.99 billion, or 40.3% of the total.

The President's request would be an overall decrease of $5.37 billion (-16.5%) from the total FY2017 enacted appropriations of $32.63 billion. This FY2017 total includes $407.0 million in emergency funding for wildfire suppression by the Forest Service and DOI. Under the President's proposal, funding for each of the bill's three titles would decrease by a different amount relative to the FY2017 enacted levels. DOI agencies (Title I) would receive $1.64 billion (-13.4%) less than in FY2017. EPA funding (Title II) would decrease by $2.40 billion (-29.8%), the largest dollar amount and percentage of the three titles. The total for all Related Agencies (Title III) would decline by $1.33 billion (-10.8%).

On July 21, 2017, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 3354, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, containing $31.52 billion in appropriations for FY2018 for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The bill would provide $1.12 billion (-3.4%) less than the FY2017 appropriation of $32.63 billion. For each of the bill's three titles, H.R. 3354 would decrease funds by a different amount relative to the FY2017 enacted levels. Funding for DOI agencies would decrease by $302.7 million (-2.5%). Funding for EPA would decline by $534.4 million (-6.6%), the largest dollar amount and percentage of the three titles. The total for all Related Agencies in Title III would decline by $284.9 million (-2.3%).

The $31.52 billion for FY2018 in H.R. 3354, as reported, was $4.26 billion (15.6%) higher than the President's FY2018 requested appropriation of $27.26 billion. The bill contained more funding than the President sought for each of the three titles. Under the House committee-reported bill, as compared with the President's request, funding for DOI agencies would be $1.33 billion (12.6%) greater, funding for EPA would be $1.87 billion (33.1%) greater, and funding for Title III agencies would be $1.05 billion (9.5%) greater.

This report first presents a brief overview of the major agencies in the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It then describes the appropriations requested by President Trump for FY2018. Next, it compares the President's request for FY2018 with appropriations enacted for FY2017. It then compares the amounts in H.R. 3354, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee, with FY2017 enacted appropriations and with FY2018 appropriations requested by the President.

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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2018 Appropriations

Introduction

This report focuses on FY2018 appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. At issue for Congress is determining the amount of funding for agencies and programs in the bill and the terms and conditions of such funding.

This report first presents a brief overview of the agencies in the bill. It then describes the appropriations requested by President Trump for FY2018. Next, it compares the President's request for FY2018 with appropriations enacted for FY2017. It then discusses the FY2018 appropriations contained in H.R. 3354, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2017.¹ Finally, the report compares the amounts in H.R. 3354, as reported, with FY2017 enacted appropriations and with FY2018 appropriations requested by the President.

Appropriations are complex. Budget justifications for some agencies are large, often several hundred pages long and containing numerous funding, programmatic, and legislative changes for congressional consideration. Further, appropriations laws provide funds for numerous accounts, activities, and subactivities, and the accompanying explanatory statements provide additional directives and other important information. This report generally does not provide information at the account and subaccount levels, nor does it detail budgetary reorganizations or legislative changes enacted in law or proposed by the President. For information on a particular agency or on individual accounts, programs, or activities administered by a particular agency, contact the key policy staff listed at the end of this report. In addition, for selected reports related to appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, such as individual agencies (e.g., National Park Service) or cross-cutting programs (e.g., Wildland Fire Management), see the "Interior & Environment Appropriations" subissue under the "Appropriations" Issue Area page on the Congressional Research Service (CRS) website.²

Overview of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations

The annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes funding for agencies and programs in three separate federal departments and for numerous related agencies.³ The Interior bill typically contains three primary titles. Title I provides funding for most Department of the Interior (DOI) agencies,⁴ many of which manage land and other natural resource or regulatory programs. Title II contains appropriations for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Title III currently funds 21 agencies in other departments, such as the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services; arts and cultural agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution; and various other entities. Title III of the bill is referred to as "Related Agencies." Selected major agencies in the Interior bill are briefly described below.

Title I. Department of the Interior

DOI's mission is to protect and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provide scientific and other information about those resources; and exercise trust responsibilities and other commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities.⁵ There are eight DOI agencies and two other broad accounts funded in the Interior bill that carry out this mission. Hereinafter, these agencies and broad accounts are referred to collectively as the 10 DOI "agencies." DOI agencies funded in the Interior bill include the following:⁶

• The Bureau of Land Management administers about 248 million acres of public land, mostly in the West, for diverse uses such as energy and mineral development, livestock grazing, recreation, and preservation. The agency also is responsible for about 700 million acres of federal onshore subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation and supervises the mineral operations on about 56 million acres of Indian trust lands.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service administers 91 million acres of federal land within the National Wildlife Refuge System and other areas,⁷ including 77 million acres in Alaska. It also manages several large marine refuges and marine national monuments, sometimes jointly with other federal agencies. In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service is the primary agency responsible for implementing the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§1531 et seq.) through listing of species; consulting with other federal agencies; collaborating with private entities and state, tribal, and local governments; and other measures. It is also the primary agency responsible for promoting wildlife habitat; enforcing federal wildlife laws; supporting wildlife and ecosystem science; conserving migratory birds; administering grants to aid state fish and wildlife programs; and coordinating with state, international, and other federal agencies on fish and wildlife issues.
• The National Park Service administers 80 million acres of federal land within the National Park System, including 417 diverse units in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Roughly two-thirds of the system's lands are in Alaska. The National Park Service has a dual mission—to preserve unique resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. The agency also supports and promotes some resource conservation activities outside the National Park System through grant and technical assistance programs and cooperation with partners.
• The U.S. Geological Survey is a science agency that provides physical and biological information related to geological resources; climate and land use change; natural hazards; and energy, mineral, water, and biological sciences and resources. In addition, it is the federal government's principal civilian mapping agency and a primary source of data on the quality of the nation's water resources.
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management manages development of the nation's offshore conventional and renewable energy resources in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic. These resources are located in areas covering approximately 1.7 billion acres located beyond state waters, mostly in the Alaska region (more than 1 billion acres) but also off all coastal states.⁸
• The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement provides regulatory and safety oversight for resource development in the outer continental shelf. Among its responsibilities are oil and gas permitting, facility inspections, environmental compliance, and oil spill response planning.
• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement works with states and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mines. The agency also regulates active coal mines to minimize environmental impacts during mining and to reclaim affected lands and waters after mining.
• Indian Affairs agencies provide and fund a variety of services to federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their members. Historically, these agencies have taken the lead in federal dealings with tribes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for programs that include government operations, courts, law enforcement, fire protection, social programs, roads, economic development, employment assistance, housing repair, irrigation, dams, Indian rights protection, implementation of land and water settlements, and management of trust assets (real estate and natural resources). The Bureau of Indian Education funds an elementary and secondary school system, institutions of higher education, and other educational programs.⁹

Title II. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment. Primary responsibilities include the implementation of federal statutes regulating air quality, water quality, pesticides, toxic substances, management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and cleanup of environmental contamination. EPA also awards grants to assist states and local governments in implementing federal law and complying with federal requirements to control pollution.

Title III. Related Agencies

Title III of the Interior bill currently funds 21 agencies, organizations, and other entities, which are collectively referred to hereinafter as the "Related Agencies." Among the Related Agencies funded in the Interior bill, roughly 95% of the funding is typically provided to the following:

• The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture manages 193 million acres of federal land within the National Forest System—consisting of national forests, national grasslands, and other areas—in 43 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It also provides technical and financial assistance to states, tribes, and private forest landowners and conducts research on sustaining forest resources for future generations.
• The Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services provides medical and environmental health services for more than 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Health care is provided through a system of facilities and programs operated by the agency, tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. The agency operates 26 hospitals, 59 health centers, and 32 health stations. Tribes and tribal organizations, through Indian Health Service contracts and compacts, operate another 19 hospitals, 284 health centers, 79 health stations, and 163 Alaska Native village clinics. Urban Indian organizations operate 34 ambulatory or referral programs.¹⁰
• The Smithsonian Institution is a museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and 9 research facilities throughout the United States and around the world.¹¹ Established by federal legislation in 1846 with the acceptance of a trust donation by the institution's namesake benefactor, the Smithsonian is funded by both federal appropriations and a private trust.
• The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities make up the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts is a major federal source of support for all arts disciplines. Since 1965, it has awarded more than 145,000 grants, which have been distributed to all states. The National Endowment for the Humanities generally supports grants for humanities education, research, preservation, and public humanities programs; creation of regional humanities centers; and development of humanities programs under the jurisdiction of state humanities councils. Since 1965, it has awarded approximately 63,000 grants. It also supports a Challenge Grant program to stimulate and match private donations in support of humanities institutions.

FY2018 Appropriations

Components of President Trump's Request

For FY2018, President Trump requested $27.26 billion for the approximately 30 agencies and entities in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. For the 10 major DOI agencies in Title I of the bill, the request was $10.62 billion, or 38.9% of the total requested. For EPA, funded in Title II of the bill, the request was $5.66 billion, or 20.7% of the total.¹² For the roughly 20 agencies and other entities funded in Title III of the bill, the request was $10.99 billion, or 40.3% of the total.

Appropriations for agencies vary widely for reasons relating to the number, breadth, and complexity of agency responsibilities; alternative sources of funding (e.g., mandatory appropriations); and Administration and congressional priorities, among other factors. Thus, although the President's FY2018 request covered approximately 30 agencies, funding for a small subset of these agencies accounted for most of the total. For example, the requested appropriations for three agencies—EPA, Forest Service, and Indian Health Service—were more than half (55.4%) of the total request. Further, nearly three-quarters (73.9%) of the request was for these three agencies and two others, National Park Service and Indian Affairs.¹³

For DOI agencies, the FY2018 requests ranged from $114.2 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to $2.55 billion for the National Park Service. The requests for 5 of the 10 agencies exceeded $1 billion. Nearly half (47.5%) of the $10.62 billion requested for DOI agencies was for two agencies—the National Park Service ($2.55 billion) and Indian Affairs ($2.49 billion).

For Related Agencies in Title III, the requested funding levels exhibited even more variation. The President sought amounts ranging from no funding for two entities—grants under National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission—to $4.74 billion for the Indian Health Service. The Forest Service would be the only other agency to receive more than $4 billion.¹⁴ The next-largest request was for the Smithsonian Institution, at $947.0 million. By contrast, 17 agencies would receive less than $80 million each, including 9 with appropriations of less than $10 million each.

Figure 1 identifies the share of the President's FY2018 request for particular agencies in the Interior bill. Figure 2 depicts the appropriations requested by the President for FY2018 for each of the three main titles of the bill: Title I, DOI; Title II, EPA; and Title III, Related Agencies. For each of the three main titles, Figure 2 also depicts the enacted appropriations for FY2017 and the appropriations in H.R. 3354, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee, for FY2018. Table 1, at the end of this report, contains the amount requested by the President for FY2018 for each agency. It also contains the FY2017 enacted appropriations for each agency; the percentage change between FY2017 enacted appropriations and the President's request for FY2018; the FY2018 appropriations included in H.R. 3354, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee; and the percentage change between the FY2017 enacted appropriations and the FY2018 levels reported by the House Appropriations Committee.

Figure 1. Components of President Trump's FY2018 Request for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) with data from the House Appropriations Committee. Notes: Agencies shown in shades of red are in the Department of the Interior, Title I of the bill. The Environmental Protection Agency, shown in green, is in Title II of the bill. Agencies shown in shades of gold are Related Agencies, Title III of the bill. Percentages do not add to 100% due to rounding.

FY2018 President Trump's Request Compared with FY2017 Enacted Appropriations

The President's request of $27.26 billion for FY2018 would be a decrease of $5.37 billion (-16.5%) from the total FY2017 enacted appropriations of $32.63 billion. This FY2017 total includes $407.0 million in emergency funding for wildfire suppression of the Forest Service and DOI.¹⁵

Under the President's proposal, the total for each of the bill's three titles would decrease by a different amount relative to FY2017 enacted levels. Funding for DOI agencies would decrease by $1.64 billion (-13.4%) when compared to FY2017. EPA appropriations would decrease by $2.40 billion (-29.8%), the largest dollar amount and percentage of the three titles. The total for all Related Agencies in Title III would decline by $1.33 billion (-10.8%).

With regard to DOI, the President proposed decreases below FY2017 enacted levels for 8 of the 10 agencies. The decreases varied in dollar amount and percentage of appropriations, with the smallest dollar decrease of $83.3 million (-5.3%) for the Department-Wide Programs account. The overall reduction for Department-Wide Programs reflected the President's elimination of funding for the FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve account. The President continued to seek funds for fire suppression through DOI's Wildland Fire Management account, however.¹⁶ The proposed decreases for the other seven DOI agencies exceeded $100.0 million. The largest was for the National Park Service, with a reduction of $378.5 million (-12.9%). Some of this reduction was proposed for facility operation and maintenance, land acquisition, and grant programs. The next-largest decrease was for Indian Affairs—$371.7 million (-13.0%), reflecting reductions for education and construction programs, among others.

Two DOI agencies would receive increased appropriations for FY2018 under the President's request. Appropriations for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would increase by $39.6 million (53.0%), largely because of a decrease in expected revenue from rental receipts and cost-recovery fees. Thus, the Administration anticipates funding a higher amount of the agency's budget through appropriations. Appropriations for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement also would increase, by $31.9 million (38.3%), in large part due to a rescission of appropriations for FY2017. Such rescissions have the effect of offsetting appropriations.

Within the overall decrease for EPA, the President sought reductions for most, but not all, accounts.¹⁷ The $880.5 million (-33.9%) decrease for the Environmental Programs and Management account was the largest overall dollar decrease for EPA accounts. This account funds a broad array of activities supporting EPA's development and enforcement of pollution-control regulations and standards, technical assistance, and administrative and operational expenses. The President proposed lower amounts for various programs within the account, among them geographic programs, enforcement, clean air, and water-quality protection. The second-largest decrease from FY2017 enacted levels, $593.7 million (-16.8%), was proposed for EPA's account for State and Tribal Assistance Grants. Within this account, the President proposed reductions for a variety of state and tribal categorical grant programs.¹⁸ However, the President sought level funding in the account for grants to states for wastewater infrastructure projects through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and for drinking water infrastructure grants to states through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Under the President's FY2018 request, 18 of the 21 Title III agencies that were funded in FY2017 would receive varying funding decreases. The President proposed the largest dollar declines for the two biggest agencies. Appropriations for the Forest Service would be cut by $879.8 million (-15.7%), primarily through lower funding for capital improvement and maintenance, cooperative forestry, land acquisition, and fire suppression. Similar to the DOI proposal, the Forest Service proposal would eliminate funding for the Forest Service's FLAME account. However, the President's request included funding for wildfire suppression through the Wildland Fire Management account. The President also proposed a $300.6 million (-6.0%) decrease for the Indian Health Service, reflecting reduced funding for clinical services, health facilities, and other programs. The Smithsonian Institution would receive the largest increase of Title III agencies—$83.7 million (9.7%)—largely dedicated to revitalizing facilities. In addition, the President sought $7.0 million in FY2018 for one entity that did not receive appropriations in FY2017—the World War I Centennial Commission.

Figure 2. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major Title, FY2017-FY2018

Source: Prepared by CRS based on the detailed funding table in U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, report to accompany H.R. 3354, 115th Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 115-238 (Washington, DC: GPO, 2017). Notes: This figure depicts appropriations enacted for FY2017, requested by the President for FY2018, and contained in H.R. 3354 as reported by the House Appropriations Committee for FY2018. It shows the total appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies and the portion for each major title of the bill. Appropriations totals reflect rescissions. The total of $31.52 billion for the FY2018 House committee-reported bill includes $6.0 million in Title IV of the bill, related to a funding limitation for wind turbines. This fourth title is not reflected separately in the figure.

FY2018 House Appropriations Committee Reported Bill (H.R. 3354)

Compared with FY2017 Appropriations

On July 21, 2017, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 3354, containing $31.52 billion in appropriations for FY2018 for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.¹⁹ The bill would provide $1.12 billion (-3.4%) less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation of $32.63 billion. For each of the three titles of the bill, H.R. 3354 would decrease funds by a different amount relative to the FY2017 enacted levels. Funding for DOI agencies would decrease by $302.7 million (-2.5%). Funding for EPA would decline by $534.4 million (-6.6%), the largest dollar amount and percentage of the three titles. The total for all Related Agencies in Title III would decrease by $284.9 million (-2.3%).

Six of the 10 DOI agencies would share in the overall decrease for DOI agencies. The largest recommended dollar decrease was $182.1 million (-28.7%) for the Departmental Offices account. Much of the decline would result from moving funding for the Office of Natural Resources Revenue from the Departmental Offices account to the Department-Wide Programs account.²⁰ The National Park Service would receive the next-largest dollar decrease, $64.0 million (-2.2%), with lower funding for land acquisition and grants to states for outdoor recreation, among other activities. Of the four DOI agencies that would receive increased funding, the largest dollar amount would be $64.0 million (4.1%) for the Department-Wide Programs account. This increase would result from moving the funding for the Office of Natural Resources Revenue to this account, as noted.

Within the overall decrease for EPA, H.R. 3354 included reductions for several but not all accounts, relative to FY2017 appropriations. The account with the largest dollar decline would be Environmental Programs and Management, with $240.2 million (-9.2%) less than FY2017 enacted appropriations. Programs in the account that would be reduced include clean air, enforcement, water-quality protection, and geographic programs. The EPA account with the second-largest reduction would be State and Tribal Assistance Grants, with $239.0 million (-6.8%) less than FY2017. The reduction would come from decreased funds for infrastructure assistance grants, especially for grants to states through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. However, within this account, H.R. 3354 would fund categorical grants at the FY2017 appropriated levels.

H.R. 3354 would increase funds for a few EPA accounts, with the largest dollar increase ($27.6 million, or 2.5%) for the Hazardous Substance Superfund account. This account supports the assessment and cleanup of sites contaminated from the release of hazardous substances.²¹ The House committee-reported bill also would triple funding for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program, with FY2018 funding of $30.0 million. The program helps finance water infrastructure projects.²²

Of the 21 Title III agencies funded in FY2017, 13 would receive a portion of the overall decrease for Title III agencies in H.R. 3354. The largest dollar reduction—$356.1 million (-6.4%)—would apply to the Forest Service, largely from reducing funds for wildfire suppression (through eliminating the FLAME account). H.R. 3354, as reported, contained funding level with FY2017 for five agencies. The bill would increase funds for three other agencies, with the largest dollar amount—$97.0 million (1.9%)—for the Indian Health Service. The additional funds would be used for programs, including hospitals and health clinics, and for the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund.²³ This fund, which seeks to eliminate deficiencies among Indian health programs, did not receive FY2017 appropriations.²⁴ H.R. 3354 also would provide appropriations for the World War I Centennial Commission, which did not receive FY2017 appropriations.

Compared with FY2018 President's Request

The $31.52 billion for FY2018 in H.R. 3354, as reported, was $4.26 billion (15.6%) higher than the President's FY2018 requested appropriations of $27.26 billion. The House committee-reported bill contained more funding than the Administration's request for each of the bill's three titles. DOI agencies would receive $1.33 billion (12.6%) more under H.R. 3354, as reported, than under the President's request, with higher appropriations for 8 of the 10 agencies. The largest dollar increase would be $382.7 million (15.4%) for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This increase would apply to many programs and activities, including education programs and school construction, public safety and justice, and land and water claims settlements. The next-highest dollar increase in H.R. 3354, relative to the President's request, was an additional $314.5 million (12.3%) for the National Park Service. The additional funds would be directed to facility operations and maintenance, land acquisition and outdoor recreation grants to states, and visitor services, among other activities.

The two agencies that would receive less funding under H.R. 3354 than the President requested for FY2018 are the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ($25.0 million, or -21.9%) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement ($5.8 million, or -5.0%). The differences were attributable to rescissions of appropriations in H.R. 3354 that did not appear in the President's budget request, as well as to other factors for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

EPA funding would be $1.87 billion (33.1%) higher under the House committee-reported bill than was requested by the President for FY2018. For most accounts, the bill contained higher amounts than sought by the President. The largest dollar differences were for the following three accounts. First, for Environmental Programs and Management, the bill contained $640.4 million (37.3%) more than the President's request. Programs in the account that would receive higher funding include geographic programs, for which the President did not seek funds, and clean air. Second, the State and Tribal Assistance Grants account would receive $354.7 million (12.1%) more under the bill than was requested by the President, largely due to higher amounts for a variety of categorical grants. Within this account, however, the bill contained less funding than the President requested for grants to states for wastewater infrastructure projects through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Third, the Hazardous Substance Superfund account would receive $354.3 million (46.5%) more under the bill than under the Administration's request, for cleanup, enforcement, and other activities.

H.R. 3354 would provide Title III agencies with $1.05 billion (9.5%) more in FY2018 than sought by the President. Although the bill contained the same funding as requested for 5 agencies and lower amounts for 4 other agencies, 13 agencies would share in the overall increase for Title III agencies. The three largest dollar differences were as follows. First, for the Forest Service, the House committee-reported bill included $523.7 million (11.1%) more than the President requested. Most Forest Service accounts would receive higher funding under the bill, with notably larger appropriations for Capital Improvement and Maintenance and State and Private Forestry (for cooperative forestry programs). Second, for the Indian Health Service, H.R. 3354 contained $397.6 million (8.4%) more than proposed by the President, with higher amounts for hospitals and health clinics, Indian health facilities, and the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund. The Administration did not seek appropriations for this fund. Third, the bill included more funding for the National Endowment for the Arts ($116.0 million, or 399.7% more) and the National Endowment for the Humanities ($102.7 million, or 242.7% more) than the President requested. It contained grant funding for these entities, which the President had proposed to eliminate for FY2018, with one exception for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission and the Smithsonian Institution are among the Title III agencies that would receive less funding under H.R. 3354 than the President requested for FY2018. For the memorial commission, the bill contained $70.2 million (-80.9%) less than the President's request, essentially for construction of the memorial. For the Smithsonian Institution, the bill contained $61.9 million (-6.5%) less than the request, primarily for revitalizing facilities.

Author Contact Information

Key Policy Staff

Footnotes

1.	Subsequently, the House Rules Committee identified H.R. 3354 as the potential vehicle for floor consideration of the Interior appropriations bill as well as other appropriations bills. See the Committee's website at https://rules.house.gov/.
2.	For selected relevant reports, see Congressional Research Service (CRS), "Interior & Environment Appropriations," at http://www.crs.gov/search/#/0?termsToSearch=Interior%20%26%20Environment%20Appropriations&orderBy=Date&navIds=4294930742.
3.	Hereinafter, the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill is sometimes referred to as the Interior bill. Many of the agencies that receive discretionary appropriations through the Interior bill also receive mandatory appropriations under various authorizing statutes. This report does not address mandatory appropriations.
4.	The exceptions are the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah Project, which receive appropriations through Energy and Water Development appropriations laws. For information on FY2018 appropriations for these entities, see CRS Report R44895, Energy and Water Development: FY2018 Appropriations, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
5.	This statement is taken from the Department of the Interior (DOI) website at http://www.doi.gov/whoweare/mission-statement.cfm.
6.	In addition, Interior appropriations bills provide funding within two broad DOI accounts covering diverse programs. In FY2017, the Departmental Offices account funded the Office of the Secretary (including the Office of Natural Resources Revenue), Insular Affairs, Office of the Solicitor, Office of Inspector General, and Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The Department-Wide Programs account funded DOI Wildland Fire Management, the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, the Working Capital Fund, and the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. For FY2018, the President has proposed moving funding for the Office of Natural Resources Revenue to the Department-Wide Programs account.
7.	This is the acreage over which the Fish and Wildlife Service has primary jurisdiction in the United States and the territories, but the figure excludes acreage in marine national monuments over which the agency has jurisdiction.
8.	For a discussion of state and federal waters, see CRS Report RL33404, Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework, by [author name scrubbed].
9.	Hereinafter, "Indian Affairs" refers to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education.
10.	Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service (IHS), "IHS 2016 Profile," April 2017, at https://www.ihs.gov/newsroom/factsheets/ihsprofile/. For additional information on the agency, see CRS Report R43330, The Indian Health Service (IHS): An Overview, by [author name scrubbed].
11.	These statistics are from the Smithsonian Institution's website at http://www.si.edu/About.
12.	Information on the President's FY2018 request for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appropriations is contained in CRS In Focus IF10665, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): FY2018 President's Budget Request, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. Information on action on FY2018 EPA appropriations is contained in CRS In Focus IF10717, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2018 Appropriations: Congressional Action, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
13.	Information on the President's FY2018 request for Indian Health Service appropriations is contained in CRS Report R44040, Indian Health Service (IHS) Funding: Fact Sheet, by [author name scrubbed].
14.	Information on the President's FY2018 request for Forest Service appropriations, as compared with FY2017 enacted appropriations, is contained in CRS In Focus IF10670, Forest Service: FY2017 Appropriations and FY2018 Budget Request, by [author name scrubbed].
15.	Of the total, $342.0 million was for the Forest Service and $65.0 million was for DOI. These funds were provided to each of the agency's FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Account.
16.	For historical information on wildfire suppression funding and related issues, see CRS Report R44082, Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation, by [author name scrubbed], [author name scrubbed], and [author name scrubbed].
17.	In addition to the decreases discussed here for some individual accounts, the President proposed a general rescission of $369.0 million of unobligated balances from specified EPA accounts.
18.	Funds are allocated for "categorical" grants generally to support day-to-day implementation of environmental laws, including a range of activities such as monitoring, permitting, standard setting, training, and other pollution control and prevention activities.
19.	U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, report to accompany H.R. 3354, 115th Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 115-238 (Washington, DC: GPO, 2017).
20.	The Office of Natural Resources Revenue manages revenues from the development of energy and natural resources on the outer continental shelf and onshore federal and Indian lands.
21.	EPA administers these activities under the Superfund program, as authorized in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. §§9601 et seq.).
22.	This program was included as Title V, Subtitle C, in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-121). For additional information, see CRS Report R43315, Water Infrastructure Financing: The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
23.	H.R. 3354 as reported provides that appropriations for the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund may be used for activities typically funded by the Indian Health Facilities account. For additional information on this fund, see CRS Report R41630, The Indian Health Care Improvement Act Reauthorization and Extension as Enacted by the ACA: Detailed Summary and Timeline, by [author name scrubbed].
24.	The fund had received appropriations in some earlier years, however.