Congress Failed to Act on Reauthorization of Land and Water Conservation Fund

WASHINGTON – Congress yesterday failed to reauthorize a federal fund critical to preventing inappropriate development of private lands within national parks.

Authorization for the revenue stream for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expired last night at the end of Fiscal Year 2015. That financing – diverted from a small portion of offshore drilling receipts – will no longer be deposited into a trust fund that Congress intended to protect America’s treasures when it established the program in 1964.

Below is a statement by Theresa Pierno, Chief Operating Officer, National Parks Conservation Association:

“For the first time, the promise of the Land and Water Conservation Fund – that part of the revenue from extracting federal public resources should go toward protecting other federal lands – has been broken. “This is a highly valuable, time-tested approach to conserving our public lands that has long enjoyed broad, bipartisan support. The failure of Congress to place their full faith in this fund could put parks and other important conservation, historic and recreation lands at risk.

“Given the program’s proven record of success in protecting places Americans cherish and its importance to a robust recreational economy, Congress should restore the integrity of the LWCF’s promise. Protecting national parks and other public lands for the enjoyment of visitors for generations to come has wide public support. We urge Congress to act swiftly to reauthorize LWCF.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than one million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.