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Office of Species Conservation reports IIJA grants, trustee payments and policy concerns about NEPA
Summary
The governor’s Office of Species Conservation told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Oct. 23 that IIJA federal grants drove large trustee-and-benefit payments, that multi-year federal grant timing caused apparent reversions, and that shifting federal NEPA and listing policies create planning uncertainty.
The governor’s Office of Species Conservation briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Oct. 23 about federal grant funds, trustee and benefit payments and program staffing, and described how changes in federal administration and NEPA processes can slow or alter multi‑year conservation planning.
Agency finances and federal grants
Analyst Janet Jessup said the office received a $5 million federal appropriation in FY2023 tied to IIJA (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and that a large share of the office’s expenditures are trustee and benefit payments that flow to projects rather than to internal personnel. Jessup noted some appropriations were not expended in the year they were appropriated because federal grant cash had not yet been realized; the office later reduced appropriations where grant availability was smaller than projected.
Program staffing and request
The office is currently authorized 16 FTP and in FY2025 spent about $1.5 million (14% of appropriation) on personnel. The office said it received an ongoing $5,000 general-fund appropriation in FY2025 for a fiscal specialist and last year added a financial specialist position to manage grant income and expenditures; the agency requested an additional $30,000 in miscellaneous-revenue authority in FY2026 to pursue non-federal grants and donations.
Policy context and NEPA concerns
Administrator Edmondson described how changes in federal administration can produce a “whiplash effect” for endangered-species and land-management rules. He cautioned that NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) processes often take years and that shifting federal decisions can leave states and producers uncertain about final resource-management plans. "NEPA ... can often take 4 years," Edmondson said, and he urged completion of regional management plans to reduce perpetual planning cycles.
Committee follow-up and context
Committee members asked for additional detail on federal grant cash flows and on trustee/benefit payment recipients; the office said it would provide supporting documents already included in the committee packet and cited the need for ongoing federal grant management capacity.
The administrator thanked the committee for a budget addition that created a fiscal specialist position and said the role improved the office’s ability to track incoming and outgoing funds.
