LWCF: Sen. Murray Applauds Important Step Toward Permanently Reauthorizing Land and Water Conservation Fund

Created in 1965 by Washington Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson, Fund supports billions of dollars in outdoor recreation activity 

More than $637 million in LWCF funds have gone to Washington state projects 

Sen. Murray will continue to fight to fully fund the LWCF 

Bill also includes provision to address backlog of maintenance at national parks and reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded successful passage of a provision to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The provision was included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act, S. 2012, which passed the Senate 85-12.

“As a nation, we owe it to future generations to preserve and protect our outdoor spaces, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund is our greatest tool to do just that,” Senator Murray said. “I commend Senator Maria Cantwell for working to include this provision in her bipartisan energy reform bill. Permanent reauthorization is the first step and I will keep fighting to make sure the LWCF gets the resources it needs to support the protection of public lands, support the thriving outdoor recreation industry, and create jobs in Washington state and across the nation.”

Created in 1965, the LWCF is an enormously successful tool for protecting our nation’s outdoor heritage for future generations, improving access to existing public lands, supporting working forests, and enhancing recreation opportunities in urban areas. The LWCF uses no taxpayer dollars. Instead, LWCF funds primarily come from oil and gas receipts paid to the federal government by energy companies that extract publicly-owned resources. The LWCF has put more than $637 million into Washington projects, including the protection of more than 120,000 acres of land and the creation or enhancement of hundreds of recreation facilities.

In addition to the LWCF, the Energy Policy Modernization Act also permanently reauthorizes the Historic Preservation Fund and creates the National Park Maintenance and Revitalization Fund, to address the deferred maintenance needs at National Park Service sites across the country, including important infrastructure improvements at Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, and the North Cascades National Park.

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