S. 1514 would amend and reauthorize various programs conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) related to the conservation of wetlands, certain species, and fish habitats. The bill also would reauthorize programs aimed at restoring the Chesapeake Bay and would establish a program to conduct research in the Great Lakes Basin. Finally, the bill would authorize funding for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by federal law to provide grants for activities related to conserving and managing fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources.
Based on information provided by the affected agencies, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $741 million over the 2018-2022 period and $257 million after 2022, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. Enacting S. 1514 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting the bill would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 1514 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, and tribal governments.
S. 1514 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in UMRA by eliminating the ability of plaintiffs to seek judicial review of rules to remove gray wolves in some regions from the endangered species list. CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would fall well below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($156 million in 2017, adjusted annually for inflation).
