Trustee outlines restoration work; LFC proposes large nonrecurring land purchases

The House Appropriations & Finance Committee heard the Natural Resources Trustee describe multi‑year pollution claims and a proposal from the Legislative Finance Committee that would add substantial nonrecurring funding for land acquisition and restoration.

Austin Davidson, LFC natural resources analyst, told the committee LFC’s nonrecurring package includes a $100 million general‑fund appropriation for lands to support wildlife and recreational access and $15 million from a consumer settlement fund for restoration projects. “Both recommendations recommend a total budget of $10,344,300 with $844,000 of that coming from the general fund,” Davidson said while pointing to the packet pages for supplemental detail.

Trustee Maggie Hartsteppens described the office’s mission to “make polluters pay” and said recurring revenue recommendations align with the executive, but LFC’s nonrecurring project list is larger. “The big difference is between nonrecurring appropriations where LFC has a $115,000,000 in projects that is not in the executive budget,” she said. She told legislators the trustee will respond to legislative direction about how acquisition funds would be deployed and noted the office’s ongoing active claims.

Committee members asked how the large nonrecurring appropriation would translate into acreage or projects; the trustee said legislative language contemplates acquisition of sensitive properties and that the trustee would be responsive to specific directions from the legislature. Representative Dixon moved to adopt the LFC recommendation and the committee approved it by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

The committee did not finalize project lists in the hearing; the trustee’s office and LFC packet were cited as the primary sources of details for any subsequent appropriation language or allocation plans.