U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) joined 21 of his Republican colleagues in voicing support for the current Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and called on U.S. House Natural Resources Committee leadership to reject any effort to amend the fund in any pending legislation before the committee.
“Public lands and water conservation efforts are crucial for the communities of southeastern Arizona. I am a strong advocate for the Land and Water Conservation Fund as it directly supports the unique needs of our region and ensures that we have the funding needed to protect our most vital resources,” Rep. Ciscomani said on July 9. “I am proud to join my colleagues in advocating for the continued conservation efforts included in the LWCF and remain committed to supporting this critical fund.”
The members reiterated that stance in a July 1 letter sent to U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, noting that any future amendments to the LWCF would jeopardize conservation and critical outdoor recreation needs.
“We ask that you work with us to ensure LWCF’s ongoing success for all Americans, for critical public recreation access, and for the outdoor economy by rejecting any effort to amend LWCF in the context of legislation pending before the Committee on Natural Resources,” wrote Rep. Ciscomani and his colleagues.
According to their letter, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) in 2020 to permanently fund LWCF, fulfilling a 60-year promise by ensuring that the $900 million deposited from offshore oil and gas receipts into LWCF annually would be used for its intended conservation and outdoor recreation purposes.
“As you know, LWCF is a foundational conservation and recreation commitment that works extremely well as authorized to support our public lands and local economies, and the commitments we made to LWCF in GAOA,” wrote the members, who also included U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-PA), Mike Turner (R-OH), Don Bacon (R-NE), Carol Miller (R-WV), and Dave Joyce (R-OH).
“We appreciate your efforts in the recent bipartisan legislation on America’s Legacy Restoration Fund, and urge you to ensure that LWCF is not amended as the committee moves forward with consideration of this and any other legislation, so that LWCF’s dedicated funds continue to address conservation and outdoor recreation access needs, including for sportsmen’s access,” the lawmakers wrote.
Rep. Ciscomani said that the letter is supported by Michael Cravens, advocacy and conservation director at the Arizona Wildlife Federation, and Christian Stumpf, director of external affairs for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona.