CARA Fails In Congress; Weaker Measure Enacted

For Immediate Release
November 7, 2000
Contact:

303-545-9011

Despite passage by a three-to-one margin in the U.S. House of Representatives, and despite a letter from 62 U.S. Senators asking for a vote on the floor of the United States Senate, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act did not pass in the 106th Congress. CARA would have promised $3 billion per year for 15 years for public land acquisition, wildlife conservation, urban and backcountry recreation, and assistance to coastal states affected by offshore oil drilling.

However, the Congress did pass a measure that plans to spend $1.6 billion this year and a total of $12 billion during the next five years. Unlike CARA, the act that passed is subject to annual debates over how much of the money should actually be spent.

CARA was the product of unusual, bipartisan agreements by members of Congress who usually fight about public lands and conservation issues. The bill did not pass because powerful leaders in the Senate had two objections. Some opposed its financial guarantee, which bypassed the regular appropriations process. Others represented the "private property rights" viewpoint, which opposes buying more federal lands.

The vote in the House and the Senators' letter were based on widespread support in the American public and its local and state elected leaders. Hundreds of prominent citizens, local and state governments, and well-respected institutions endorsed CARA. This grassroots support points to a possible return of this issue in the 107th Congress, which first convenes in January 2001.

CARA included full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. IMBA has worked for several years in a national coalition, American s For Our Heritage and Recreation, to achieve that goal. For more info, visit www.ahr.org.