SEVERE WINTER STORM PELTS AREA - Eastern Band of Cherokee

NEWS ka-no-he-daBUDGET, from page 21That total includes about $11.6billion in revenue from the sale of mineralresources, including oil and natural gas.Using the President’s SAVEawards, the Department is proposing $82.0million in Department-wide and bureauspecific management efficiencies. Thereare an additional $668 million in programreductions, terminations, and discontinuationof unrequested congressional increases.Interior will exercise additionalcost containment, as most of the increasesin fixed costs for Interior bureaus and offices,an estimated $108.7 million, will beabsorbed. The budget request includes$4.6 million to fund anticipated 2011 fixedcost increases, such as employee benefits,pay raises and other cost-of-doing businessxpenses, for Interior’s salary-intensiveomponents.The 2011 budget request includes11.1 billion for DOI programs funded byhe Interior, Environment, and Relatedgencies Appropriations Act, which doesot include the Bureau of Reclamation.his is $16.7 million, or 0.2 percent, belowhe level enacted for 2010. The 2011 reuestfor the Bureau of Reclamation andhe Central Utah Project Completion Act,unded in the Energy and Water DevelopentAppropriations Act, is $1.1 billion,22.0 million or 2.0 percent below theevel enacted for 2010. Permanent fundinghat becomes available as a result of existnglegislation without further action byhe Congress will provide an additional5.8 billion to the current appropriationsequest, for appropriations totaling $18 bilionfor Interior in 2011.Initiative HighlightsNew Energy Frontier – The Secetary’sNew Energy Frontier initiativeill create clean sources of energy usinghe Nation’s vast domestic resources whileontinuing to develop conventional energyupplies. Increases include $3 million forhe Bureau of Land Management (BLM)o focus on the environmental elements ofenewable energy projects, $3.2 millionor Minerals Management Service (MMS)egion-specific planning needs, $3.0 milionfor U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)o analyze and document the effects of reewableenergy on wildlife populations,nd $4 million for the Fish and Wildlifeervice (FWS) to conduct endangeredpecies consultations and help plan and deignrenewable energy projects that areildlife friendly. The budget continuesupport for the development of convenionalenergy, including an increase of $4.4illion for the MMS 2007-2012 five yearprogram and $10 million for audit costshat can no longer be funded by the Roylty-in-Kindprogram, which is slated forermination. BIA’s budget includes an inreaseof $1.5 million for conventional energyleasing activities on the Fort BertholdReservation. BLM’s oil and gas programcapacity is maintained at last year’s level,with a $3 million reduction reflecting thecompletion of an energy study. The budgetincludes additional user fees to help offsetBLM and MMS oil and gas program costs.MMS inspection fees on Outer ContinentalShelf oil and gas facilities will be doubledto generate roughly $20 million in FY2011 and a comparable new fee for BLMonshore oil and gas inspections is expectedto generate $10 million in FY 2011.Climate Change Adaptation –This initiative will examine the causes andformulate solutions to mitigate climate impactsto lands, waters, natural and culturalresources. Interior’s Climate Science Centersand Landscape Conservation Cooperativeswill conduct and communicateresearch and monitoring to improve understandingand forecasting of which elementsof our land, water, marine, fish andwildlife and cultural heritage resources aremost vulnerable to climate change impactsand make them more resilient. The budgetincludes $8.0 million for continued investmentsin the USGS National ClimateChange and Wildlife Science Center,which will serve as the nexus for the eightInterior Climate Science Centers; $1.0million for expanded monitoring by USGSand $8.0 million for FWS monitoring thatwill be integrated, standardized, and accessibleto Interior bureaus, partners, and thepublic; $2.0 million for expansion of theUSGS carbon sequestration project; $8.8million to expand FWS science and planningcapacity in support of additionalLandscape Conservation Cooperatives;and $2.5 million for BLM and $2.0 Fishand Wildlife Service (FWS) adaptive managementactivities on private lands. In the2011 budget, the Bureau of Reclamationand BIA also include climate change funding,including $3.5 million for Reclamationbasin studies and scientific supportand $200,000 for BIA participation in aLandscape Conservation Cooperative.Empowering Tribal Nations – Ata November 2009 White House Tribal NationsConference, the President pledged tostrengthen Nation-to-Nation relationships,improve the tribal consultation process,and empower strong and stable Indiancommunities. The 2011 budget advancesNation-to-Nation relationships and Indianself-determination by providing additionalfunding of $21.5 million for contract supportcosts and the Indian Self-DeterminationFund, $3 million to assist with theunique needs of small and needy Tribes,and $2 million for social services. It protectsIndian Country by providing $19 millionto increase the number of FederalBureau of Investigation agents who are onthe-groundand dedicated to Indian Country;advances Indian education with $8.9million to address environmental and securityconcerns at BIE schools andstrengthen grant support funding for triballyoperated BIE schools; and improvestrust land management with increases of$11.8 million to promote both renewableand conventional development on triballands, defend and assert Indian waterrights, and assist Tribes with dam safety.The budget reflects a reduction of $53.6million from the 2010 level because of a$50 million reduction in one-time 2010funding to forward fund tribal colleges andanticipated efficiency savings.WaterSMART - The 2011 budgetproposes a sustainable water strategy to assistlocal communities in stretching watersupplies and improving water management.The Bureau of Reclamation will receive$62 million, an increase of $27.4million, to improve water management byencouraging voluntary water banks; assistinglocal communities by partnering withnon-Federal stakeholders to develop incentivesand best practices for implementingwater conservation and wasterecycling projects. The USGS will use$10.9 million, a $9 million increase, for amulti-year, nationwide water availabilityand use assessment.Treasured Landscapes – The 2011budget calls for $445.4 million, an increaseof $106.2 million, for Departmentof the Interior Land and Water ConservationFund (LWCF) programs to acquirenew park, refuge, and public lands, protectendangered species habitat, and promoteoutdoor recreation. Total LWCF fundingin 2011 for Interior and the U.S. ForestService is 619.2 million, a 29 percent increaseover the 2010 enacted level and a104 percent increase over the 2009 level.With these consecutive increases, appropriationsfrom the LWCF are on track toreach the full funding level of $900 millionin 2014.The budget also includes an increaseof $71.4 million targeted to keyecosystems for restoration and renewal.This includes an increase of $50.6 millionfor the Bureau of Reclamation, FWS, andUSGS to conduct studies, projects andother efforts in the California Bay-Delta,including habitat restoration, the developmentof fish screens and fish ladders, eradicationor mitigation of invasive species,as well as various water quality and quantitystudies and assessments. The Interiorbudget also provides program increases of$6 million for Everglades restoration; $5million for FWS to support the restorationof key fish and wildlife habitat along theGulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi;and $10 million to conserve and protectthe Chesapeake Bay’s cultural and naturalresources. The Department is also activein Great Lakes restoration efforts. The2011 EPA budget request includes a provisionalallocation of $50.2 millionsee BUDGET page 29Feather Flowers, Cloth Flowers andSilk Arrangements availableValentine Baskets w/ candy andAvon Baskets.Need to get your sweetheart aSPECIAL gift, stop by and checkout the Avon Shop on Acquoni RdOpen late at night, stop by and see NellCrowe for all your beauty needs.THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010cherokee one feather23