Month: March 2020

56 Senators Support Great American Outdoors Act

WASHINGTON – With the support of President Donald J. Trump and 56 bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate, Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced new legislation that will provide full dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).  The Great American Outdoors Act advances two critical priorities from previously introduced bills – in addition to fully funding LWCF, it also addresses the maintenance backlog in America’s national parks and other public lands.

“This legislation makes clear the broad, bipartisan commitment to LWCF and its importance to conservation and outdoor recreation efforts across the country.  The Great American Outdoors Act represents a historic opportunity for Congress to make critical and lasting investments in our public lands and the outdoor recreation economy,” said Tom Cors, Director of Government Relations for Lands at The Nature Conservancy and a spokesman for the LWCF Coalition.

“The LWCF Coalition applauds Senators Gardner and Manchin – supported by the majority and minority leaders, and by our many other dedicated champions in the Senate – for standing up on behalf of millions of outdoorsmen and women to get the job done for LWCF this year.  We look forward to working with the House and Senate to get this over the finish line as soon as possible,”

About the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important conservation program, responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges and recreation areas at the federal, state and local level.  For 50 years, it has provided critical funding for land and water conservation projects, recreational construction and activities and the continued historic preservation of our nation’s iconic landmarks from coast-to-coast.

LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars – it is funded using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities contribute more than $887 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 7.6 million jobs.

About the LWCF Coalition

The LWCF Coalition is the umbrella group of more than 1,000 state and local land owners, small businesses, ranchers, sportsmen, veterans, outdoor recreationists and conservation organizations working to protect America’s public lands and safeguard our shared outdoor heritage for future generations.

The Coalition is united in its advocacy for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which will ensure the continued conservation of our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness, civil war battlefields, as well as state and local parks.

For more information on LWCF and the places in each state that have been protected using LWCF funds, visit www.lwcfcoalition.com

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RELEASE: March 10, 2020 

Media Contact: Justin Bartolomeo (202) 789-4365

 

With the start of a new grant cycle for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF), conservation organizations, local parks agencies, and others submitted applications to fund conservation projects across the state.

A total of 144 grant applications were submitted to North Carolina’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund, totaling $82,613,060. That’s about five times more than the allocated $16,565,670 for projects in 2019. Without adequate funds appropriated to the CWMTF in 2020, many of the proposed projects could lack the necessary funding for completion.

Ensuring there are ample funds allocated toward conservation efforts is necessary for North Carolina’s economic and future development. Of the 144 applications, 100 of them are requests for funding land acquisitions, which protect North Carolina’s natural beauty and resources such as water, animal habitats and plant species unique to our state. The other 44 submissions are for restoration, innovative stormwater solutions, and planning projects.

As North Carolina continues to invest in building a more resilient state, lawmakers must also prioritize the appropriation of adequate funding for land and water conservation projects that benefit citizens today and into the future. The need for conservation funding through CWMTF and other avenues is great and impacts every district and every resident. We must continue ensuring that our trust funds are well protected and adequately funded.

To view the full list of the 2020 CMWTF requests, click here.