The Land and Water Conservation Fund will expire tonight unless Congress takes action. With Congressional intervention appearing highly unlikely, Jessica Goad, Advocacy Director at the Center for Western Priorities, said:
It is disgraceful that a well-loved conservation program is going to expire solely because of political intransigence and ideology. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is wildly popular with the public, has jaw-dropping bipartisan support, and has garnered endorsements from formidable sportsmen and outdoor industry leaders. It’s a shame that Utah Representative Rob Bishop, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, is holding LWCF hostage. Rep. Bishop has vowed to block the program unless “reforms” are made, but he has yet to introduce a bill or allow consideration of renewing LWCF, effectively letting the fund wither on the vine. Without LWCF, 1.6 million acres inside dozens of our most cherished national parks—from Gettysburg to Yosemite—will be at risk of private development, not to mention the urban parks and other projects in our communities that will languish. With its 50-year track record of success, it’s no surprise that the LWCF has such broad bipartisan support, even in today’s hyper-partisan Congress. 219 representatives—more than half of the House—have publicly voiced their support for the program. That’s why Congressman Bishop’s refusal to take action is a slap in the face to anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Political failures like this make Americans lose faith in their democratic institutions, so it’s no wonder that less than ten percent of voters think Congress is doing a good job.
Key facts about the Land and Water Conservation Fund:
60 percent of national parks have used LWCF funds to secure inholdings, with a total of 2.2 million acres protected.
43 percent of national parks still have remaining private inholdings that are eligible for protection using LWCF, totaling 1.6 million acres.
Since its inception in 1965, LWCF has been used to protect more than 40,000 urban parks, baseball diamonds, and other close-to-home green spaces.