Did you hear?… House and Senate appropriators finalized Department of Interior spending plan for 2002

House and Senate appropriators finalized a Department of Interior spending plan for fiscal year 2002 on Oct. 10 and Myrna Johnsonof the Outdoor Industry Association told SNEWS® that she is thrilled Congress agreed to fully fund year two of the six-year, $12 billion Conservation Trust (also known as CARA-lite) created last year. In short, $1.32 billion was approved for FY 2002, with a total of $573 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and $600 million for maintenance backlogs at public land agencies. The $573 million is $33 million over the amount provided for FY 2001. Johnson also told us, “We are also pleased that Congress decided to cut the proposed four-year extension of the User Fee Demonstration program to two years. It is our position that it is time for the fee policy to be considered by the appropriate authorizing committees. The Outdoor Industry Association has also committed to participating in the public process it believes is required for evaluating user fees and creating strong limitations to the program.”