Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Office Of Species Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Office of Species Conservation reports federal grant activity and flags federal rule timing; committee given federal fund details
Summary
The Office of Species Conservation briefed JFAC on federal grant inflows from IIJA and trustee and benefit pass‑throughs, requested a modest increase to its miscellaneous revenue authority and discussed how federal rulemaking and NEPA timelines affect state planning for species such as sage grouse.
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee received a budget briefing from the Office of Species Conservation that focused on federal grant timing, trustee and benefit payments and the office's request to increase its miscellaneous revenue authority to pursue non‑federal grants.
Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the committee the office was created by the legislature and that its federal‑grant appropriations produced a large uptick in the agency's 2023 appropriations, largely tied to IIJA funds. Jessup explained that funds the office has authority to spend can revert when federal cash has not yet been realized and that "what isn't happening is that the agency has a great deal of cash that it's sitting on and not spending. That is not what is happening." She said the office's trustee and benefit payments in 2024 were overwhelmingly federal in origin.
Administrator Edmonson (Administrator Edmondson in transcript) said the office is allocated 16 FTP and that trustee and benefit payments constituted the majority of expenditures in 2024. The office requested a $30,000 increase to its miscellaneous revenue appropriation for FY 2026 to pursue grants and donations from non‑federal entities; the governor's recommendation did not deviate from the request.
Edmonson also described policy and implementation risks tied to federal rule changes. In response to a question about near‑term issues, the administrator said changes in federal administrations produce a "whiplash effect" on Endangered Species Act listings and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes. He said states and Western governors are working to finalize resource management plans for sage grouse and avoid "a perpetual NEPA planning" process that creates uncertainty for producers and other land users.
The committee did not take final action; administrator Edmonson thanked staff and the committee for creating a fiscal specialist position that the office said improved oversight of incoming grants.
No formal votes were recorded.
