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Policy Pulse: Bill to Permanently Fund Land and Water Conservation Fund Introduced in U.S. Senate

Jared Mott, IWLA Conservation Director
Outdoor America 2020 Issue 1
Painted Desert National Wilderness Area

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has protected habitat and preserved access to outdoor recreation in all 50 states, making it our nation’s most successful conservation program. In March, a bipartisan bill to permanently fund the LWCF and reduce the deferred maintenance backlog on our public lands was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422) would permanently fund LWCF at $900 million per year, in addition to providing $1.9 billion annually through fiscal year 2025 to address maintenance backlogs on roads, trails, and buildings on National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management lands. These agencies manage the public lands most important for outdoor recreation and years of funding shortfalls have led to crumbling infrastructure. This bill will help repair the infrastructure needed to enhance recreational opportunities on all public lands. The League fully supports S. 3422. Members can urge their U.S. Senators to co-sponsor this important legislation.