Funding

Overview

The OCSRI Plan is a comprehensive effort to conserve and restore coastal populations of salmon, steelhead, and trout to levels that are considered healthy and capable of supporting fisheries. Many of the actions proposed to accomplish this goal have already been implemented and will be maintained under existing state and federal agency budgets. Many actions initiated or proposed to restore the productive capability of habitats that support salmon production represent voluntary contributions by private landowners. Many other elements of the OCSRI will require new funding sources.

Oregon clearly understands the importance of adequate funding to implement the OCSRI. The purpose of this section is to describe the opportunities that are being pursued to secure the needed funding.

State Funding

Introduction

The proposed state funding package is contained in the Governor's 1997-99 Recommended Budget. The Oregon Legislative Assembly is currently considering the Governor's Recommended Budget. There are three principle elements of the budget related to implementation of the OCSRI: the Natural Resources Investment Budget, natural resource agency current service level budgets, and agency policy option packages.

Governor's Natural Resource Investment Budget

The Governor's recommended Natural Resource Investment Budget totals $60,140,387. This budget element would invest $30,140,387 in the Oregon Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative and the Healthy Streams Partnership, a critical element of the OCSRI. As proposed, the Investment Budget is funded through a new excise tax on returnable beverage containers. The proposed surcharge will generate between $60 million to $100 million in revenue per biennia when applied to an estimated 1.1 billion containers returned under the existing bottle bill.

The Natural Resource Investment Budget provides $20 million in grant funding to support watershed council coordinators and other local organizations, including Soil and Water Conservation Districts; monitoring activities; and grants to landowners. The existing Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board will administer the grant program. The budget also provides $9,971,032 to add technical staff resources in the Department of Agriculture (19 positions), Department of Environmental Quality (19 positions), Department of Fish and Wildlife (14 positions), Department of Forestry (6 positions), Water Resources Department (4 positions), and Department of Land Conservation and Development (1 position). The investment budget funding proposal for each state agencies is described below.

Department of Agriculture

Water Quality: ($3,129,375 Other Funds, 16 positions, 16.38 FTE) Allows the department to develop and carry out management plans to meet state water quality standards in basins where agricultural nonpoint source pollution is a significant factor. Funding provides the department with the capability to meet mandated responsibilities and increased workload associated with expanding nonpoint water quality programs. The positions include six regional coordinators and seven technical specialists responsible for completion of management plans for water quality limited basins, a program coordinator, a fiscal support specialist, and an office specialist. In addition, $1,100,000 is included to support local organizations working on nonpoint source issues.

Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO): $380,476 Other Funds, 3 positions, 3 FTE) Provides resources for the department to work with CAFOs to improve the level of compliance with water quality regulations. The department will monitor compliance of all permitted CAFOs through a periodic inspection system and provide educational outreach and technical assistance to landowners. Two of the positions will be regional enforcement inspectors and one will provide courtesy inspections.

Department of Environmental Quality ($2,523,853 Other Funds, 19 positions, 19 FTE) Provides the department with staff necessary to complete water quality plans in subbasins. The positions will be located in field offices and the laboratory and would monitor water quality, develop total maximum daily loads, allocate pollution loads, and modify permits to stabilize and restore stream health, and eventually remove streams from the 303(d) list. The proposed funding would also be used to purchase water quality monitoring equipment, supplies and services for the laboratory. The positions will include 10 positions focused on data collection, analysis and evaluation: 4 total maximum daily load (tmdl) specialists, 2 water quality monitoring specialists, 2 watershed monitoring specialists, 1 tmdl modeler, and one state water quality specialist. Nine positions will focus on tmdl development and technical assistance: 4 nonpoint source specialists, 3 basin tmdl specialists, and 2 complex tmdl permit specialists.

Department of Fish and Wildlife ($2,200,000 Other Funds, 14 positions, 14 FTE) Adds 3 positions to undertake index stream monitoring to estimate wild salmon smolt production from selected, previously sampled, streams that can provide historical comparison, 3 positions to monitor core habitat to provide protection, adaptive management, habitat enhancement, and population re-establishment; 3 positions to provide technical support to private interests, watershed councils, and others on habitat protection and restoration in the north, central and south coast areas; 2 positions to coordinate and implement the OCSRI monitoring plan; 1 position to coordinate implemention of the OCSRI; and two positions to improve education and outreach efforts to local communities.

Department of Forestry ($1,141,206, 6 positions, 5.75 FTE) Adds resources for three projects: fish presence surveys, technical assistance for landowners (5 positions) and integrated forest resource assessments (1 position). Fish presence surveys will identify the upper limits of fish distribution to classify streams as required by the Oregon Forest Practices Program water protection rules. Technical assistance positions will provide more resources to ensure that water protection rules are adhered to during a timber harvest. The integrated forest resource assessment will allow the department to incorporate an integrated look at multiple forest resources, and determine the effect of forest practices and policy decisions.

Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board (GWEB) ($482,219 Other Funds, 4 positions, 4 FTE) Funding would restore GWEB staff to its 1995-97 level and add one position. Restoration is necessary to continue the current grant program and expand it as envisioned in the investment budget. The intent is to use GWEB as the state's natural resource granting body, with technical groups to advise on particular grant issues. Two of the three positions being restored are field staff positions that work with local watershed councils; the other position provides fiscal grant management for the program.

Department of Land Conservation and Development ($113,901, 1 position, 1 FTE) Adds one position to coordinate and provide technical assistance to agencies and coastal cities and counties that have resource management responsibilities for implementation of the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program.

Current Service Level Budgets and Policy Option Packages

The Governor's 1997-99 Recommended Budget supports numerous programs in state natural resource agencies that contribute to the OCSRI at current service levels. These programs are reflected in the agencies' proposed measures. To build on this existing base of agency resources, the budget also includes a number of Òpolicy options packagesÓ that represent new funding above current service levels. The packages directly related to the OCSRI are described below.

Department of Fish and Wildlife ($1,100,000 General Funds, 10 positions, 10 FTE) Funds habitat biologists who would offer technical support on fishery issues to local communities and watershed councils and other state and federal agencies making permit decisions that affect fish.

Department of Fish and Wildlife ($200,000 General Funds) Provides funds to support Oregon's share of the multi-state For the Sake of the Salmon effort. Other participating states include Washington, Idaho and California.

Department of Forestry ($250,000 General Fund, $250,000 Other Funds, 5 positions, 4.25 FTE) Adds staff to provide small forest landowners with assistance to help them voluntarily invest in practices that will accelerate the improvement of clean water in streams and restore salmon habitat while managing their forest lands.

Division of State Lands ($194,327 Other Funds, 2 positions, 2 FTE) Adds positions to help agency meet statutory mandate of prompt permit application review and enforcement actions for the removal or fill of more than 50 cubic yards of material in all waters of the state.

Water Resources Department ($1, 878,800 General Funds, 11 positions, 11 FTE) Adds eight field staff to support water users, watershed councils and the public. Adds funds for one limited duration position and contract funds for ground water studies of the Klamath, Rogue, and South Coast basins. Adds two information services staff positions to improve central data management.

Two other policy option packages would restore existing positions related to OCSRI implementation in the Department of Environmental Quality and State Police.

Department of Environmental Quality ($1,949,631 Other Funds, 14 positions, 14 FTE) Restores 14 existing positions that provide permitting services to point sources that discharge polluted wastewater.

State Police ($2,148,007 General Funds, 13 positions, 13 FTE) Restores staffing for 13 Fish and Wildlife Division positions. The positions are responsible for enforcement of fish and wildlife rules and regulations, environmental crime enforcement, fill/removal regulations, water quantity and quality and other natural resource rules and regulations. The positions will be directed toward salmon restoration and protection and healthy streams.

FEDERAL FUNDING

The federal contribution in the OCSRI is important primarily in terms of what they offer in their management of public lands, but also in their ability to bring intergovernmental and interagency assistance to local communities.

The Federal Agency Workplan section of this plan provides details of programs that have been authorized by Congress over the years as well as the technical assistance, activities and legal requirements that agencies are able to commit to with current budgets (Phase I). They describe Memoranda of Understanding that facilitate coordinated efforts between agencies that provide greater efficiencies with the available dollars. They also detail what they would be able to provide under their congressional mandates and authorities given additional funds (Phase II).

It is important to note that some of the authorized programs described currently provide the authority for programmatic activity, but are not funded or are not currently available for much funding in the range of the coastal coho under the constraints of federal regulations. Similarly, while the federal agencies' Phase II efforts are important to salmon recovery, they will need to be Congressionally funded in an era of federal budget reductions, and a unfavorable shift in congressional seniority away from Oregon. The Governor's Office, members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, along with numerous other interest groups and Oregonians, will work with the Oregon Congressional delegation, other members of Congress, and the Administration to try to obtain this needed funding for efforts to restore coho salmon runs.