During federal budget negotiations, congressional Republicans backed
off plans to kill funding for the six-state Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project, while the Administration agreed to delay and scale
back the project so it is "more sensitive to local concerns."
The threat of a veto of the omnibus spending bill, which included the
Interior Appropriations bill, prompted a reconsideration of efforts to
cut funding for ICBEMP, said Rep. Rick Hill, …