Hill Heat

Overall, the president’s $10.7 billion budget proposal released last week represents a slight decrease from last year’s budget, with funding shifted from standard functions like construction and range improvement for specific department initiatives.

Kempthorne defended the cuts when testifying before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee last week, calling the cuts “strategic reductions” that reduce overlap with other federal efforts while boosting funding for key department priorities.

“In tight budgetary times, I do feel that to the extent possible that we have to balance the budget, and by balance I mean with the issues,” Kempthorne said.

The National Park Service, for example, would receive $2.4 billion – a $47 million cut – but the request would also increase the service’s operations budget by more than $160 million, to $2.1 billion, making it the largest budget for park operations ever.

The increased funding for park operations is part of Bush’s National Parks Centennial Challenge in honor of NPS’s 100th anniversary. The plan calls for $1 billion – $100 million over each of the next 10 years – in donations from the public, friends groups and corporations, to be matched “dollar for dollar” in mandatory funds by Congress.

Kempthorne is expected to ask for support for the matching funds. The administration is also looking for additional funding for its Water for America, Birds Forever, Oceans and Coastal and Safe Borderlands initiatives.

• Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Department of the Interior