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Office of Species Conservation cites federal grant swings; requests modest miscellaneous revenue authority
Summary
The Office of Species Conservation told the Joint Finance Committee that federal grant timing has produced swings in appropriations and that the office is requesting an additional $30,000 in miscellaneous revenue authority to pursue non‑federal grants and donations.
The Office of Species Conservation (OSC) reported to the Joint Finance Committee that federal grant timing has produced swings in appropriations and that the office is requesting an additional $30,000 in miscellaneous revenue authority to pursue non‑federal grants and donations.
Janet Jessup, the Legislative Services budget analyst, walked members through the office's federal fund profile and told the committee the OSC received a roughly $5 million federal appropriation in 2023 (IIJA funds and related grants) that largely was not expended in that fiscal year. The office has substantial trustee and benefit payments in its expenditures, and Jessup said those federal grant flows can create a pattern where appropriation authority is adjusted when grant availability changes.
Why it matters: The OSC coordinates planning and actions connected to species listed or considered under the federal Endangered Species Act and supports restoration projects. Federal grant timing affects what the office can spend in a given year and therefore the practical ceiling on activity.
Administrator Edmonson told the committee the office currently has 16 FTP and said the federal review processes the office regularly engages with — including the Endangered Species Act consultations and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — can be protracted. "It's a long process that can often take 4 years," Edmonson said of NEPA reviews. He said the OSC added a fiscal specialist position last year and that the additional miscellaneous revenue authority is intended to help the office pursue grants and donations from non‑federal sources.
Edmonson also discussed intergovernmental coordination on sage‑grouse planning and the uncertainty created when federal administrations change course mid‑process; he said western states want to finish resource management plans rather than repeatedly reopening them. The OSC thanked the committee for creating a fiscal specialist senior position in the prior year and said that staffing addition improved the office's ability to track federal grant inflows and outflows.
The governor's recommendation did not deviate from the OSC's request. No formal votes were recorded in the hearing.
