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Office of Species Conservation asks for modest miscellaneous‑fund increase as federal grants shape spending pattern
Summary
The governor's Office of Species Conservation told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that federal grants largely determine its budget and it is requesting a $30,000 increase to its miscellaneous revenue fund to pursue non‑federal grants.
The governor's Office of Species Conservation told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that federal grants—especially a multi‑million award tied to recent federal infrastructure legislation—largely drive its spending pattern and that the office is requesting a modest $30,000 increase in its miscellaneous revenue fund to pursue non‑federal grants and donations.
Legislative analyst Janet Jessup summarized the office's funding profile and noted that the Office of Species Conservation (OSC) was created by the legislature to coordinate state activities relating to species listed or considered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Jessup said the office is allocated 16 FTP and, for fiscal 2025, expended about $1.5 million (roughly 14% of its appropriation) on personnel. A large share of the office's expenditures are trustee and benefit payments tied to federal grant awards.
Jessup told the committee OSC received a $5 million federal appropriation in FY2023 tied to IIJA (the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act). Because federal grant cash often does not align with the year's spending needs, Jessup said the office reverted unspent federal appropriations while noting that federal funding is expected to be drawn down over multiple years. "What isn't happening is that the agency has a great deal of cash that it's sitting on and not spending," Jessup said; she explained the pattern as timing and grant restrictions rather than excess reserves.
Administrator Edmondson (Governor's Office of Species Conservation) said OSC added a financial specialist last year and requested the $30,000 miscellaneous‑fund increase to pursue donations, settlements and third‑party grants. Edmondson described how changes in federal administration and rulemaking can produce a "whiplash effect" for state planning under the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), citing sage‑grouse planning as an example where states seek final decisions to reduce repeated NEPA cycles.
OSC closed by thanking Legislative Services and the committee; Edmondson said the added fiscal specialist has improved the office’s accounting and grant management.
