Representative Don Young (R-AK) introduced H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), in February 1999 to establish an off-budget dedicated trust fund for the acquisition and protection of land. The bill authorizes placing more than $42 billion of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil royalties into the trust fund over the next 15 years…

In December 1997, more than 150 nations met in Kyoto, Japan, to negotiate the terms of the Kyoto Protocol, a global climate agreement under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Protocol reflects a comprehensive plan to reduce six greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), between 2008 and 2012. During the…

On June 15, 1999, the House passed H.R. 1000 (the Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century, or AIR 21), to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through fiscal year (FY) 2004 and to increase significantly federal spending in support of commercial aviation.1 To make room for this additional spending…

It is just five months into fiscal year (FY) 1999, and President Bill Clinton already has presented Congress with three requests to supplement or add to the spending agreed to for this year. The President claims these requests, which total $1.36 billion,1 are needed to respond to unforeseen emergencies, such…