AS DEADLINE APPROACHES, AYOTTE PUSHES TO REAUTHORIZE LWCF

Renews call to protect important conservation program

Rita Carroll | September 18, 2015

Tags:: Land and Water Conservation Fund

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today joined a bipartisan group of more than 50 Senators in writing a letter to Senate leaders calling for the immediate reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is set to expire on September 30. Senator Ayotte has advocated strongly for LWCF and in June joined Members of Congress at a press conference to reiterate the urgent need to renew the LWCF.

“We urge the inclusion of a short-term reauthorization of the LWCF in the coming days before the program expires on September 30, and seek your commitment to work with us to achieve permanent authorization and consistent funding of the LWCF in any legislation poised to become law this year,” the senators wrote.

Earlier this year, Ayotte helped introduce bipartisan legislation that would permanently reauthorize the fund. Rather than using taxpayer money, LWCF is an account in the U.S. Treasury that collects a small percentage of offshore oil and gas leasing receipts, specifically intended to be used for conservation projects. At the local, state, and federal levels, LWCF provides grants to help conserve our natural resources and protect outdoor recreation opportunities, working forests, and wildlife areas.

The letter was led by Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and signed by the following members, in addition to Ayotte: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Thomas Carper (D-DE), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Joe Manchin III (D-WV), Edward Markey (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), James E. Risch (R-ID), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Charles Schumer (D- NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Read the full text of the letter by clicking here.

News

Senate Permanently Reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Matt Leahy | February 14, 2019

In an overwhelmingly large bipartisan vote of 92-8, the United States Senate on February 12 approved S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act. The bill includes a wide-ranging set of provisions that will expand protections for our country’s natural areas. Most importantly, it will permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The Senate vote is the outcome of the national LWCF Coalition, of which the Forest Society is a member. The coalition has been putting pressure on Congress since the program’s authorization lapsed at the end of September. The bill now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for action. We are hopeful this bipartisan spirit will continue. For more information, read the LWCF Coalition’s statement on the passage of S. 47.

New Hampshire’s U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan both voted in favor of the bill. Please contact them and thank them for their continued leadership on this critically important issue. Read the Senate delegation’s statement on the passage of this landmark legislation here.

For further details of what is in the Natural Resources Management Act, read this article from E&E Daily.

A side thought to consider; most people likely view Congress as being dysfunctional or more focused on scoring political points than on solving challenges facing our country. It is therefore interesting to note that those stereotypical partisan battles did not happen during the deliberations on a bill whose main purpose is the protection of our country’s beautiful landscapes and critically important natural ecosystems. Is it possible that the long-term land protection of the land is the issue that brings all sides together?

LWCF Reauthorization

Matt Leahy | December 20, 2018

For a short time, optimistic media reports suggested Congress would finally reach an agreement to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). That didn’t happen. Instead, this impasse marks the second time in the last three years Congress has failed to secure the program’s long-term future. Unfortunately, 2019 will now begin in the same way 2018 ended-with the LWCF in limbo, as it has been since it expired on September 30, and again waiting for Congress to act.

While it is true the LWCF could live on without this authorization (if Congress continues to appropriate money each year for its subprograms and individual projects), relying on the vagaries of the appropriations process undermines the fundamental concept behind its creation. Specifically, it goes against the principle of asset-for-asset reinvestment in conservation, where the sale of one national natural resource (offshore energy) is offset by investing a small portion of royalties into a permanent capital investment in land and water for the American public.

Of further concern, the program’s expiration resulted in the termination of the annual funding deposits which are supposed to go into LWCF to sustain its conservation work. In plain dollars and cents, this means starting back on October 1, the revenue from offshore energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) stopped flowing into the program at a loss of $2.46M every day.

We are hopeful that when Congress does convene in January for its next session, one of its top priorities will be to end the uncertainty regarding the future of the LWCF. Until we have that assurance, it will be helpful to make a simple call or email to New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation thanking them for their on-going support and encouraging them to remind their colleagues that the American public backs the program. This issue cannot wait any longer.

Here's how to contact the NH congressional delegation to say THANK YOU:

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Veterans Group Ramps Up Effort to Reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Matt Leahy | November 8, 2018

Underscoring the urgency of reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the ad pictured below was placed by the Vet Voice Foundation (VVF) in the Boston Globe on October 4th. Vet Voice Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that works to provide veterans the opportunity to continue serving their communities through new missions in domestic and foreign policy campaigns important to our country. The fact that the VVF has focused part of its efforts on the LWCF, further highlights why the program matters. The organization believes that recreating and protected lands can help veterans heal from the trauma of war and renew bonds with family members after long deployments.

Read more on the VVF’s position on the protection of these special places in this 4-page fact sheet (PDF).

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