Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (November 6, 2015) – Yesterday, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) released a discussion draft of legislation to reauthorize and reform the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The draft bill, titled Protecting America’s Recreation and Conservation (PARC) Act, would make the LWCF work more effectively for public lands, states, and communities.

In response, Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) issued the following statement:

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund was designed to use 60 percent of the annual funds to support stateside programs and local community conservation projects, but last year only 16 percent of the funds went to state assistance programs,” said Chairman Lummis. “The LWCF has turned into a slush fund with little to no oversight or transparency, all while serious challenges to public land management go unaddressed. The policy of growing the federal estate at any cost needs to be thrown out, especially in light of the federal government’s $20 billion* maintenance backlog and the perpetual funding uncertainty for current federal obligations. The reforms Chairman Bishop proposed would not only restore the role of states in the LWCF, but help ensure its value for future generations.”

The discussion draft reforms would:

• Restore appropriate ratios of funding for state and federal programs,
• Support STEM education, investing in the future of the LWCF,
• Ensure a stable contribution to the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program,
• Limit funds for additional federal land acquisition,
• And design programs to increase revenues and streamline permitting for offshore energy projects.

To read the legislative draft, click here.

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*A typo from the original release was corrected from $20 million to $20 billion