FY 2001-02 NATURAL RESOURCES BUDGET - H.B. 4259 (CR-1): CONFERENCE REPORT
| FY 2001-02 Year-to-Date Gross Appropriation | $260,201,300 |
| Changes from FY 2001-02 Year-to-Date: | |
| Items Included by the Senate and House | |
| 1. Game and Fish Protection Fund. To bring Fund appropriations into line with annual revenue, the following adjustments were made: eliminated customer service initiative ($1,000,000), 8 wildlife biologist positions ($600,000), in-car computer funding ($1,500,000), 10 C.O. positions ($1,000,000), and $100,000 from the game and nongame wildlife grants program. | (4,200,000) |
| 2. Great Lakes Fisheries Consent Decree. The budget includes $500,000 GF/GP for enforcement and $100,000 Game and Fish Protection Fund for a survey of the recreational fishing harvest. | 600,000 |
| 3. Land and Water Conservation Grants. Federal grant funds are included. | 2,633,000 |
| 4. Timber Marking. The House, Senate, and Conference increased forest resource revenue appropriations for timber marking activities. | 2,000,000 |
| 5. Snowmobile Grants. Assuming a $10 increase in the snowmobile sticker fee, the House, Senate, and Conference increased Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund dollars for trail maintenance grants. | 2,600,000 |
| 6. Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps (MCCC) - Tricentennial Park. The House, Senate, and Conference included MCCC Endowment Fund dollars for Corps assistance on the Tricentennial Park project in Detroit. | 200,000 |
| 7. National Christmas Tree. The House, Senate, and Conference appropriated forest resource revenue to provide the State share of the Pageant of Peace at the White House. | 100,000 |
| 8. Bovine Tuberculosis. The House, Senate, and Conference included Game and Fish Protection Fund for 4 wildlife biologist positions to focus on bovine tuberculosis. | 300,000 |
| 9. Economic Adjustments. Includes $9,200 for unclassified salaries. | 4,047,400 |
| 10. Other Changes. Adjustments were made to reflect the availability of various Federal and State restricted sources of financing and mandated and other inflationary adjustments , the elimination of an intradepartmental transfer for internal audit functions, and the elimination of nearly $3.5 million in one time supplemental and contingency fund transfer items. | (8,162,500) |
| Conference Agreement on Items of Difference | |
| 11. Target Savings. The Senate created at least a $100 difference in each line item of the budget. To resolve these differences and to achieve the savings necessary to meet the prescribed target, the Conference Committee made the following adjustments: transferred $3.5 million in Mackinac Island State Park appropriations to a new State department; eliminated local lake level assessment funding ($200,000), and grants for the cleanup of tax reverted properties ($150,000); reduced Administrative Services funding by $112,800, Forest Resource Management by $100,000, resource mapping and aerial photography by $50,000, and law enforcement by $166,600; reduced the urban and suburban tree planting initiative by $283,500 from $540,000; and replaced $1 million in general fund support for forest resource management with Forest Development Fund dollars. | (4,597,500) |
| 12. Other Changes. The Senate and Conference included increased Federal wildlife management funding and applied the 0.5% budgetary savings to specific lines rather than as a lump sum. | 1,105,300 |
| Total Changes | (3,374,300) |
| FY 2001-02 Conference Report Gross Appropriation | $256,827,000 |
Amount Over/(Under) GF/GP Target: $0
| FY 2001-02 NATURAL RESOURCES BUDGET - BOILERPLATE HIGHLIGHTS |
| Changes from FY 2001-02 Year to Date: |
| Items Included by the Senate and House |
| 1. Timber Harvest. The Governor, House, and Senate modified current language prohibiting the Department from allowing reduction of timber marked for harvest and sale to fall below 855,000 cords or 69,000 acres, to instead require the Department to prescribe appropriate treatment for 69,000 acres (Governor), or 63,000 acres (House, Senate, and Conference), plus or minus 10%. The House, Senate, and Conference language also encourages continued workgroup efforts to establish an old growth forest stewardship strategy. The House, Senate, and Conference retained the current year requirement that the impact of timber harvesting on wildlife habitat and recreation be considered. (Sec. 901) |
| 2. Parks Construction. The Senate and Conference included new House language requiring the Department to report on construction projects in State Parks that involve campsite or campground closures, including an assessment of the impact of the projects on costs, revenues, recreation, and park users. The language also requires the Department to notify the Legislature of planned reductions in park operations or recreation opportunities. (Sec. 803) |
| 3. Off-Road Vehicle (ORV)Trail Enforcement Grants. The Governor deleted, the House, Senate, and Conference modified current language limiting allocations from the ORV trail improvement grants appropriation for law enforcement assistance to $25,000, to allocate not less than $25,000 for law enforcement assistance. (Sec. 1202) |
| 4. Legacy of Trees. The Governor, House, Senate, and Conference included new language allowing the allocation of up to $600,000 from forest resources management appropriations for the Detroit 300 Legacy of Trees Program. The House, Senate, and Conference included language prohibiting the use of the funds for creating amenities for casinos. (Sec. 905) |
| 5. Fish Advisories. The Governor, House, Senate, and Conference deleted language requiring a report on the number of fish advisory booklets distributed to fishing license vendors. The House, Senate, and Conference included new language requiring the Department to prominently display the Michigan Department of Community Health website in the fishing guide, and to include alternative sources of MDCH fish advisory information. (Sec. 404) |
| 6. Oil and Gas Ownership Program. Language included by the House, Senate, and Conference requires a progress report on the Unified Surface and Subsurface Oil and Gas Ownership Program. (Sec. 1004) |
| 7. Common Language. Language common to FY 2000-01 budget bills that was deleted by the Governor, but retained by the House, Senate, and Conference includes sections that give preference to the purchase of State or American goods over foreign products (209), and that require the Department to retain copies of all reports funded with Department appropriations. (Sec. 215), and that require submission of privatization plans prior to implementation. (Sec. 207) |
| Conference Agreement on Items of Difference |
| 8. Directional Drilling. House language prohibiting the Department from leasing Great Lakes bottomlands for directional drilling until the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has accepted and approved recommendations of the 2001 Working Group on Oil and Gas Leasing Procedures was deleted by the Senate. The Senate included language prohibiting spending for leasing Great Lakes bottomlands for oil and gas exploration and drilling unless certain conditions or standards are met. The Conference Committee did not include language concerning directional drilling. |
| 9. Fee Waiver. House language requiring the Department to waive permit fees for nonprofit entities conducting approved stream habitat improvement projects was deleted by the Senate and Conference. |
| 10. Timber Marking. The Senate and Conference modified new House language allowing the hiring of 20 temporary employees for timber marking, to prohibit spending from the timber marking appropriation unless available revenue exceeds $23,857,700; to require the Department to determine and report revenue projections quarterly; and to allow spending to employ up to 20 temporary employees for timber marking if revenue is available. (Sec. 902) |
| 11. Dispersed Camping Fee. The Governor and Senate deleted, but the House and Conference retained current year language prohibiting the assessment of fees for dispersed camping on State forest land. (Sec. 907) |