D.C. Notebook | 30 years later, Norm Dicks arrives

WASHINGTON — After 30 years, Norm Dicks got his wish.

Just before the Memorial Day recess, he finalized the House bill to fund the Interior Department as chairman of the Interior Appropriations Committee. And the state came out fine, even in what is purported to be an earmark-free bill.

Dicks, D-Bremerton, has wanted to run the money committee on Interior since he won his seat in Congress in 1976. That committee deals with national parks, forests, waterways and Dicks' favorite, endangered species.

He's turned down leading positions on other committees to move up the food chain on this one, waiting for the Democrats to take back the majority. After finally getting his chance to put his imprint on the committee, he was euphoric.

"Without being immodest," said Dicks, 66, "this is the best conservation bill in a decade."

If the House prevails, Interior would receive nearly $10.2 billion, a $260 million increase over last year, and $454 million above the White House's proposed 2008 budget.

The Forest Service would get $2.6 billion for non-wildfire-related programs, a $102 million increase and $345 million above the White House proposal.

Dicks established a national-forest road and trail account. He spent part of the recess week visiting the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff to talk about repairing roads washed out last November.

The Forest Service's habitat fund and the estuary program in Interior also got money, some of which will go to the ongoing cleanup of Puget Sound.

The administration already had promised Dicks more money for the National Park Service. When the Democrats came into power in January, Dicks collared his colleagues and got them to make it a priority. The bill allocates $2.52 billion for national parks, a $228 million increase over the 2007 budget.

There's more: The Urban Indian Health program, which funds the Seattle Indian Health Board clinic, was restored to the budget. Money also is included for anti-meth projects in tribal lands.

Rep. Jay Inslee , D-Bainbridge Island, one of Congress' loudest voices on global warming, went on a "global fact-finding trip" during last week's recess.

The sojourn included congressional spring-break favorites — London, Brussels, Copenhagen and Berlin.

But while in Europe, Inslee was asked at the last moment to deliver a response at a conference in Berlin to comments by British Prime Minister Tony Blair about President Bush's climate-change proposal unveiled last week.

The conference included ministers of G-8 countries who will be dealing with climate change in their annual meeting this week.

The international recognition is a coup for Inslee, whose book on global warming is coming out this fall.

On Thursday, Bush said he would convene meetings with as many as 15 nations beginning this fall to produce a plan by the end of 2008 to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Some G-8 leaders have accused Bush of suggesting the new meetings to forestall tackling the hard problems of emissions from the U.S. and other countries.

Blair applauded the U.S., which he said, "for the first time wants to be part of a framework which commits the world to agreeing to a long-term global goal to reduce emissions."

Inslee, in his remarks, suggested that the president is stalling for time until he leaves office. He said the good news is that the administration's days of denial about climate change are over. But he told Blair and the audience that Bush's idea of a voluntary global program will not work.

Afterward, he asked Blair what he thought would convince Bush of the need for mandatory carbon-emission caps. Inslee said Blair laughed and told him that in no other walk of life could there be so much evidence and so little action.

Inslee traveled with five other members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, three of them Republicans.

The team toured Avedore Power and BioGasol, two green utilities in Denmark; visited a carbon capture and sequestration facility in Germany; and discussed carbon-cap trade programs in London and Brussels.

Alicia Mundy: 202-662-7457 or amundy@seattletimes.com