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Office of Species Conservation outlines federal‑grant flows, trustee payments and warns NEPA whiplash may complicate sage‑grouse plans
Summary
The Office of Species Conservation told legislators it relies heavily on federal grants and trustee benefit payments; staff said appropriations rose and fell with IIJA grants and urged finalizing sage‑grouse NEPA plans to reduce regulatory uncertainty.
The governor’s Office of Species Conservation briefed the Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday on its federal grant portfolio, trustee and benefit payments and a request to increase miscellaneous revenue appropriation for non‑federal grant activity.
Janet Jessup, Legislative Services budget analyst, told the committee the office received about $5 million in federal IIJA‑related funds in fiscal 2023 and that much of the apparent appropriation‑to‑expenditure gap reflects federal funds that remain authorized but unexpended because multi‑year projects have not completed. Jessup said trustee and benefit payments accounted for the bulk of the office’s fiscal‑year 2024 expenditures and that the office’s miscellaneous revenue fund accepts donations, non‑federal grants and settlements.
Administrator Ben Edmonson (presenting as Edmondson in the hearing) described the office’s staff and noted the legislature added a fiscal specialist last year to track federal awards and expenditures. The office requested a $30,000 miscellaneous‑revenue enhancement to pursue and accept additional non‑federal grants and donations; Jessup said the governor’s recommendation matched the agency request.
Edmonson also used his committee appearance to discuss policy dynamics the office monitors. He said shifts in federal administrations create “whiplash” for implementation of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), complicating multi‑year planning such as sage‑grouse management. “We need to finalize these plans and actually work on managing sage‑grouse instead of planning to manage sage‑grouse,” he said, urging completion of resource‑management plans rather than perpetual NEPA amendments.
Committee members asked for additional documentation of the office’s federal‑grant expenditures and the agency offered to supply further detail. No formal committee votes occurred during the session.
