Fish and Wildlife Service For release February 28, 1995 Hugh Vickery 202-208-5634 STATE WILDLIFE AGENCIES TO RECEIVE $411 MILLION FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROJECTS
State wildlife agencies will soon receive a record $411 million collected from Federal excise taxes paid by hunters, anglers, and boaters to support fish and wildlife restoration and recreation projects in 1995.
The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute the funds under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs, helping to pay for thousands of conservation and recreation projects throughout the United States and its territories.
"Recreational anglers and hunters are among the unsung heroes of this country's conservation movement," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said. "The hundreds of millions of dollars they pay each year in taxes on sporting equipment have provided the foundation for conservation for more than 60 years."
Since the 1930s, these excise taxes have been largely responsible for the recovery of popular species of wildlife, including white- tailed deer, wood duck, and wild turkey, and the restoration of fisheries and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, the funds have helped pay for hunter education programs and boating access to rivers and lakes.
"There probably isn't a person in America who hasn't benefitted in one way or another from the contributions of sportsmen and sportswomen to Federal Aid, even if it's simply having more wildlife around to see and enjoy," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie.
A total of $211 million will be apportioned to the states under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, commonly referred to as the Pittman-Robertson program after its Congressional sponsors. This compares to $182.1 million in 1994. Part of the increase is due to improved collection of taxes by the Treasury Department.
The money is derived from an 11-percent excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, a 10-percent tax on pistols and revolvers, and an 11-percent tax on certain archery equipment. One-half of the tax on handguns and archery equipment is made available for state hunter education programs.
Projects include acquisition and improvement of wildlife habitat, introduction of wildlife into suitable habitat, research of wildlife problems, surveys and inventories of wildlife, acquisition and development of wildlife-related recreational facilities, and hunter education programs, including construction and operation of public shooting ranges.
Another $199.9 million will be passed along under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, often called the Dingell- Johnson/Wallop-Breaux program. This compares to $174.6 million in FY 1994. Overall deposits increased in FY 94 as a result of improved collections and record-keeping.
This funding results from a 10-percent excise tax on fishing equipment and a 3-percent tax on electric trolling motors and sonar fish finders. The "Wallop-Breaux" legislation of 1984 increased the tax base for sport fish restoration to include a portion of the Federal motorboat fuels tax and import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats.
Projects funded under this program include acquisition and improvement of sport fish habitat; stocking of fish; research into fishery resource problems; surveys and inventories of sport fish populations; and acquisition and development of boat ramps, fishing piers, and other recreational facilities.
In the past 60 years, the two Federal Aid programs have raised more than $4.5 billion for fish and wildlife conservation, management, and recreation projects. This year's $411 million total represents the highest annual total ever.
Distribution of sport fish restoration funds to the states is based on the land and water area and the number of fishing license holders in each state. Wildlife restoration funds are made available based on land area and the number of hunting license holders in each state. Distribution of hunter education funds is based on the relative population of each state.
The attached tables show the allocation of the final apportionment for fiscal year 1995.
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FINAL APPORTIONMENT OF FEDERAL AID IN WILDLIFE RESTORATION FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995 WILDLIFE HUNTER STATE RESTORATION EDUCATION TOTAL ALABAMA 2,836,700 930,400 3,767,100 ALASKA 8,569,933 396,014 8,965,947 ARIZONA 3,966,904 843,972 4,810,876 ARKANSAS 3,063,854 396,014 3,459,868 CALIFORNIA 6,178,120 1,188,040 7,366,160 COLORADO 4,432,392 758,582 5,190,974 CONNECTICUT 856,993 756,906 1,613,899 DELAWARE 856,993 396,014 1,253,007 FLORIDA 2,578,442 1,188,040 3,766,482 GEORGIA 3,419,306 1,188,040 4,607,346 HAWAII 856,993 396,014 1,253,007 IDAHO 3,567,018 396,014 3,963,032 ILLINOIS 3,203,527 1,188,040 4,391,567 INDIANA 2,702,582 1,188,040 3,890,622 IOWA 2,805,006 639,388 3,444,394 KANSAS 3,146,565 396,014 3,542,579 KENTUCKY 2,693,934 848,592 3,542,526 LOUISIANA 2,716,589 971,710 3,688,299 MAINE 2,009,549 396,014 2,405,563 MARYLAND 1,110,354 1,101,002 2,211,356 MASSACHUSETTS 856,993 1,188,040 2,045,033 MICHIGAN 7,541,281 1,188,040 8,729,321 MINNESOTA 5,217,290 1,007,429 6,224,719 MISSISSIPPI 2,667,559 592,520 3,260,079 MISSOURI 4,253,543 1,178,280 5,431,823 MONTANA 5,348,230 396,014 5,744,244 NEBRASKA 2,965,028 396,014 3,361,042 NEVADA 3,235,088 396,014 3,631,102 NEW HAMPSHIRE 856,993 396,014 1,253,007 NEW JERSEY 856,993 1,188,040 2,045,033 NEW MEXICO 3,851,620 396,014 4,247,634 NEW YORK 5,287,561 1,188,040 6,475,601 NORTH CAROLINA 3,285,639 1,188,040 4,473,679 NORTH DAKOTA 2,471,632 396,014 2,867,646 OHIO 3,869,231 1,188,040 5,057,271 OKLAHOMA 3,119,168 724,316 3,843,484 OREGON 4,255,397 654,485 4,909,882 PENNSYLVANIA 7,358,560 1,188,040 8,546,600 RHODE ISLAND 856,993 396,014 1,253,007 SOUTH CAROLINA 1,926,392 802,864 ,729,256 SOUTH DAKOTA 3,010,064 396,014 3,406,078 TENNESSEE 4,123,700 1,123,042 5,246,742 TEXAS 8,569,933 1,188,040 9,757,973 UTAH 3,349,335 396,014 3,745,349 VERMONT 856,993 396,014 1,253,007 VIRGINIA 3,030,608 1,188,040 4,218,648 WASHINGTON 3,298,158 1,120,626 4,418,784 WEST VIRGINIA 2,128,923 396,014 2,524,937 WISCONSIN 5,688,036 1,126,400 6,814,436 WYOMING 3,690,312 396,014 4,086,326 PUERTO RICO 856,993 0 856,993 GUAM 285,665 66,000 351,665 VIRGIN ISLANDS 285,665 66,000 351,665 AMERICAN SAMOA 285,665 66,000 351,665 N. MARIANA ISLANDS285,665 66,000 351,665 TOTAL 171,398,660 39,601,340 211,000,000 FINAL APPORTIONMENT OF FEDERAL AID IN SPORT FISH RESTORATION FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995 ALABAMA 3,105,840 ALASKA 9,996,650 ARIZONA 4,101,117 ARKANSAS 3,258,752 CALIFORNIA 9,996,650 COLORADO 4,997,360 CONNECTICUT 1,999,330 DELAWARE 1,999,330 FLORIDA 5,033,984 GEORGIA 3,707,791 HAWAII 1,999,330 IDAHO 3,337,973 ILLINOIS 4,294,704 INDIANA 3,118,129 IOWA 2,693,322 KANSAS 2,880,439 KENTUCKY 3,151,494 LOUISIANA 3,313,633 MAINE 1,999,330 MARYLAND 2,101,493 MASSACHUSETTS 1,999,330 MICHIGAN 7,502,157 MINNESOTA 7,333,882 MISSISSIPPI 2,636,940 MISSOURI 5,168,471 MONTANA 4,677,471 NEBRASKA 2,543,552 NEVADA 3,025,207 NEW HAMPSHIRE 1,999,330 NEW JERSEY 1,999,330 NEW MEXICO 3,559,604 NEW YORK 5,144,864 NORTH CAROLINA 3,109,799 NORTH DAKOTA 1,999,330 OHIO 5,288,680 OKLAHOMA 3,800,362 OREGON 4,846,724 PENNSYLVANIA 5,252,434 RHODE ISLAND 1,999,330 SOUTH CAROLINA 2,286,132 SOUTH DAKOTA 2,415,067 TENNESSEE 3,988,988 TEXAS 9,996,650 UTAH 3,513,386 VERMONT 1,999,330 VIRGINIA 3,113,424 WASHINGTON 4,665,709 WEST VIRGINIA 1,999,330 WISCONSIN 6,693,963 WYOMING 2,956,028 PUERTO RICO 1,999,330 GUAM 666,443 VIRGIN ISLANDS 666,443 AMERICAN SAMOA 666,443 N. MARIANA ISLANDS 666,443 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 666,443 TOTAL 199,933,000