The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the country’s most successful land-conservation program, was allowed to expire at the end of September after congressional leaders failed to reauthorize the program. Now, as politicians take stock of the program’s influence across the country, many are pushing for permanent reauthorization of it.
The LWCF, established in 1964, was created to secure outdoor recreation lands for future generations. Over the course of its existence, the program has provided almost $17 billion in funding for the expansion of parks and protected forests across the country and has protected more than 500 million acres of land across the country.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said it’s important to renew the fund to ensure future generations continue to have access to public areas.
“Rural and urban communities throughout Colorado benefit from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, including the Animas River Trail,” Bennet said. “It’s a crucial tool we’ve used to conserve dozens of landscapes across Colorado. It’s also critical to our outdoor recreation industry, which is a major driver of the state’s economy. There is strong bipartisan support for the LWCF, and we’re extremely disappointed that it has not yet been reauthorized.”
Earlier this year, Bennet introduced legislation along with Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to permanently reauthorize the fund. That legislation fell one vote short of passage.
One of the benefits of the LWCF is that it is entirely funded by royalties from offshore drilling, defraying taxpayers’ cost. But while the LWCF’s reauthorization has enough support in the Senate, House Republicans are weary about putting forward a simple reauthorization bill.
Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, believes the fund is an effective tool for conservation efforts, but he feels that it’s in need of some reforms “to ensure it is still achieving its original mission” after more than 50 years of existence.
“Managing nearly 640 million acres in the United States, the federal government is by far the largest landowner in most Western states,” Tipton said. “Rather than increasing LWCF funding in order to obtain more federal property, land-management agencies should focus on managing the lands they already have. LWCF reauthorization provides an opportunity for reforms that support addressing the growing maintenance backlogs for national parks, roads, trails and facilities.”
Instead, Tipton believes LWCF funding could also be used for land exchanges “involving strategic landholdings” with private owners.
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has indicated that he will put forward a bill that changes the fund in the coming months, including efforts to redirect money to more state and local projects.
A recent U.S. Treasury report shows the fund contains a $19.8 billion balance, although whether this money can be used to continue acquiring federal lands and support protection efforts is up for debate. Because of the fund’s expiration, royalties from offshore drilling will now go directly into the Treasury’s coffers.
According to Sen. Bennet’s office, parks throughout Colorado have received LWCF funding, including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Ophir Valley in the Uncompahgre National Forest, Dinosaur National Monument and the Colorado National Monument. Since the fund was established, Colorado has received almost $239 million in funding to conserve lands across the state.
Data from the Outdoor Industry Association show that outdoor recreation in Colorado generates more than $13.2 billion in consumer spending, supports 125,000 jobs across the state and provides close to $1 billion in annual tax revenue.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., also announced his support for the program’s renewal. Along with Sen. Bennet and 52 other senators, Gardner previously signed on to a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pushing for the fund’s permanent authorization.
“I remain a strong proponent of permanently reauthorizing the LWCF, and that is why I will continue to work toward a solution that paves the way for the common sense, permanent reauthorization of a program that has been a great friend to Colorado and is supported by sportsmen, hunters, recreationists and Americans around the country,” Gardner said.
Edward Graham, a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern with The Durango Herald.
