Trust For Public Land Statement On Expiration Of LWCF

The Trust for Public Land today issued the following statement on the expiration of the Land and Water Conservation Fund:

"Today, Congress allowed the 50-year old Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to lapse for the first time ever. This failure to act is beyond comprehension given how this program benefits all Americans," said Will Rogers, President of The Trust for Public Land.

"For a half-century, in all 50 states, LWCF has protected land from neighborhood parks to national parks. All Americans should live within a 10-minute walk of a park and LWCF is a great way to help that happen. Millions of Americans have benefitted from LWCF, which is America's most effective and efficient conservation program, and it doesn't use a dime of taxpayers' money. LWCF is completely funded by revenues from offshore oil and gas leases," Rogers said.

"This failure on the part of Congress is also difficult to understand because the LWCF program enjoys strong public support. Time and again, voters of every stripe have shown they are willing to vote in favor of conservation, when given the choice," Rogers said. "The same is true in Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans support LWCF and if a simple reauthorization bill were put to Congress, it would pass both the House and Senate with bipartisan majorities.

"In the weeks ahead, as Congress considers other legislation, we will work with our LWCF champions on both sides of the aisle to win new, long-term approval for America's most effective conservation program," Rogers said.