On Sunday, Congress let LWCF expire, leaving vital recreation and protection projects in limbo
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, and local conservation leaders held a press conference to urge Congress to act immediately to reauthorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) after the program’s authorization expired on Sunday, September 30, injecting uncertainty into one of our nation’s most effective conservation programs. Udall was joined by a group of local conservation leaders who discussed the LWCF’s critical role in safeguarding our most valuable public lands and bolstering regional outdoor recreation economies.
Udall has long championed efforts to permanently authorize and fully fund the LWCF, including successfully securing $425 million in funding for the program in this year’s Senate Interior and Environment appropriations bill, despite attempts from the Trump administration to zero out funding.
Since its establishment in 1965, the LWCF has been one of America’s most successful conservation programs, helping to protect public lands, national parks, wildlife refuges, trails, ball fields and popular recreational sites in all 50 states. In New Mexico, the LWCF has funded over 1,200 projects and helped to increase recreational opportunities and preserve thousands of acres of precious public lands, from Rio Grande del Norte National Monument to Gila National Forest.
“For the past half century, the LWCF has been instrumental to preserving America’s most treasured open spaces and improving access to recreational opportunities throughout the country,” said Udall . “It has been absolutely vital for New Mexico, where it has invested over $312 million to help protect our most cherished public lands, spur job creation and fuel our $9.9 billion outdoor recreation economy, which supports 99,000 New Mexican jobs.”
“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that the LWCF is a huge boon to regional economies and our environment – all at no cost to the taxpayer,” Udall continued . “But despite broad bipartisan support, Congress still failed to act as the clock ticked down, allowing the authorization for the program to expire on Sunday, September 30 and leaving essential conservation projects in limbo. Today, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed bipartisan legislation of which I am a co-sponsor to permanently reauthorize and fully fund the LWCF, which is an important step in the right direction. I’m confident that if we continue to work together, Congress can quickly find a solution to ensure that we safeguard some of our most iconic landscapes for years to come. I’m not going to rest until we get this done.”
