The House Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal year 2012 (FY12) Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill on July 12 that included substantial cuts to agency spending and key conservation programs, as well as policy riders impacting natural resource related issues, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman (NM) and Max Baucus (MT) introduced legislation in November that would permanently provide $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the federal government’s main program to protect land and provide outdoor recreation opportunities.

President Obama signed the $32.2 billion Interior, Environment and Related Agencies fiscal year 2010 (FY10) appropriations bill into law on October 30.   The bill provides a 17 percent increase in spending from last year’s appropriation for most of the natural resources and environmental agencies in the federal government, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. 

An omnibus public land bill (S. 22) that cleared the U.S. Senate on January 14 failed to pass the House of Representatives on March 11, calling the measure’s future into question, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The $787 billion economic stimulus package, which had ballooned over $900 billion at one point during debate in Congress, is intended to create jobs and encourage economic activity in the country.  Included in the package are more than $3 billion for agencies and programs that will directly impact natural resource conservation.  The bill moved through Congress on largely party-line votes, with the final conference bill being voted on late on Friday, February 13.