America’s most important conservation program

Since 1965, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has provided billions of dollars to buy land and maintain infrastructure at a diverse array of recreational locations. It expires Sept. 30.

The LWCF is arguably America’s most important conservation program. It has helped to fund everything from local playgrounds and ball fields to national parks and historic sites.

The best part about LWCF is its funding mechanism. It uses no taxpayer dollars.

Instead, it relies on a portion of royalty payments from offshore oil and gas, resources that belong to the American people. The companies pay the royalty to the federal government for extraction.

Fortunately, a bipartisan coalition in Congress has been working for more than a year on a LWCF reauthorization plan. Recently, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark.) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (DWash.) announced an agreement to permanently authorize the fund.

The deal reaffirms that a portion of revenue derived from offshore oil and gas development is dedicated to protect America’s irreplaceable natural, historic and recreational outdoor resources.

The agreement is part of a recently proposed energy bill. Over the next few weeks, letters of support for Land and Water Conservation Fund written to your congressional representatives will be important. Contact information for members of Congress can be found at www.contactingthecongress.org.