In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) called for the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which expired at the end of September.
Gardner’s letter, sent along with Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Richard Burr (R-NC), called for not only a reauthorization of the LWCF but also full mandatory funding before the end of the current session.
“The LWCF is one of the country’s best conservation programs, preserving public lands in rural and urban areas,” the letter said. “For the last 50 years, it has protected lands, historic sites, national parks, wilderness areas, and urban parks in every state. LWCF has supported more than 41,000 state and local projects. It is critical to protecting natural resource lands and working forests, providing outdoor recreation opportunities and hunting and fishing access, ensuring wildlife habitat, creating urban parks, and protecting our cultural heritage. Continued investments in this program help our nation’s outdoor recreation, conservation, and preservation economy, which supports millions of American jobs and contributes billions of dollars annually to the economy.”
The LWCF provides conservation funding and ensures public access to the outdoors. A January vote that fell one vote short of passage would have made the LWCF’s authorization permanent.
Offshore oil royalties fund the LWCF, which was designed to not use taxpayer dollars. More than $18 billion dollars since 1965, however, have been taken from the LWCF trust fund for non-conservation purposes. As a result of the Sept. 30 expiration of the LWCF, offshore oil royalties are no longer being directed into the fund with no guarantee that Congress will provide it with the necessary funds.
“For the economy, sportsmen, veterans, wildlife, and our kids and grandkids, we must permanently reauthorize LWCF — America’s must successful conservation program,” the letter said. “We also strongly request that you include mandatory full funding in any must-pass year end legislation. We look forward to working with you to resolve this pressing issue.”