The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) — the single largest source of funding for parks, trails and other public recreational infrastructure in the United States — ceased to exist September 26 after Congress failed to reauthorize the legislation for the first time since it was created in 1965.
Although polls show 82 percent of registered voters support the program and despite a high level of bipartisan support in both the U.S. House and Senate, the the law the created the LWCF expired at midnight Wednesday.
The sunset of the legislation means that OIA, conservation organizations, mayors and governors that
have spent years pushing for full funding of the LWCF now find themselves trying to save the program altogether. Although the law
authorized Congress to appropriate up to $900 million a year in revenues from offshore energy leases administered by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), Congress has only done so once. Still, LWCF had provided tens of millions of dollars annually in matching grants states and local governments used to acquire land for conservation and build athletic fields, trails and other infrastructure for outdoor recreation.
Joel Webster, director of the Center for Western Lands with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, says the decision to allow the fund to expire means $2.5 million is being lost every day nationwide that could be funding valuable quality of life projects at both the state and federal level.
“Washington, D.C. politics has gotten in the way,” he says. “And the thing is, what's crazy about this is the Land Water and Conservation Fund has broad bipartisan support, and so if the thing could only get a vote, we feel pretty confident that it would pass.”
In a statement released Thursday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel said America's national parks
are now at a higher risk of private development within their borders. Jewell, the former CEO for Recreational Equipment Inc., said local parks and open space projects in all 50 states may face delays
or cancellation in the year ahead.
“Some members on Capitol Hill don’t seem to think that tonight’s expiration is a big deal since LWCF reauthorization could be part of a larger budget agreement in December, or other moving legislation later this year,” said Jessica Wahl, recreation policy adviser for Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) in a statement released Wednesday. “But it is a big deal. When LWCF expires, we will lose the tie to the revenue (offshore receipts) and the funding that comes with it. This puts a program with a broad support base in serious jeopardy and important recreation and conservation projects on hold indefinitely.”
LWCF critics, including many Congressmen and governors representing western states where most federal land is located, argue the federal government has no business spending money to acquire new public lands and build new parks when it can't afford to
maintain the public lands it already manages. The National Park Service (NSS) now pegs its maintenance backlog at $11.5 billion. LWCF proponents counter the spending
creates and sustaind jobs in rural America, boostd property values in American cities and lured foreign tourists, who account for the third largest source of U.S. exports.
“We need action in the other Washington to maintain the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” added Eric Artz, COO and CFO for Recreational Equipment Inc., or REI. “It is crucial for our forests and parks tomorrow. And it’s crucial for our economy and our citizens today.”
OIA is urging its members and anyone else who supports the LWCF to contact their representatives immediately to tell them: “The expiration of LWCF fails the American people and hurts American businesses. It is so simple and so necessary to preserve our shared national heritage, our shared land and water. LWCF reauthorization must be part of a bipartisan budget agreement negotiated in the next few months.”
“Many of you have come to Washington, D.C., written your representative or hosted an event in support of this program,” said Wahl. “But our hard work cannot stop now.”
