April 10, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Corey Fisher cfisher@tu.org / (406) 546-2979
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday a group of Senators from both sides of the aisle introduced legislation to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act comes on the heels of Congress approving permanent authorization in February as part of a public lands package named in honor of Congressman John Dingell. The bipartisan effort was led by Senator Cory Gardner and Senator Joe Manchin and is supported by Senators Maria Cantwell, Richard Burr, Michael Bennet, Lamar Alexander, Jon Tester, Steve Daines, Tom Udall, Susan Collins, Martin Heinrich, Lindsay Graham, Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King.
“We thank Senators Gardner and Manchin and their Republican and Democratic colleagues for working to fulfill the LWCF promise for the American people,” said Steve Moyer, vice president of government affairs for Trout Unlimited. “The first step was to permanently approve the program, but the next step is to ensure dedicated funding so the program continues to support hunting, fishing and recreation for generations to come.”
Since 1965, LWCF has been one of America’s most successful conservation and recreation programs, funding access sites for famous fisheries like the Madison River in Montana, Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania, the Upper Colorado River in Colorado and many others. LWCF is also the primary funding source to acquire and conserve new public lands that are essential for sustaining our outdoor traditions and protecting fish and wildlife habitat.
“Without full funding, the LWCF is like a sportscar with an empty tank of gas,” said Corey Fisher, public lands policy director for Trout Unlimited. “The President’s FY20 budget eliminated discretionary funding for LWCF, underscoring why this legislation is so important. This bill will provide the certainty needed for LWCF to be successful.”
“If you like to hunt and fish, nothing supports your passion like LWCF,” continued Fisher. “We appreciate Senator Gardner and Senator Manchin’s leadership and look forward to working with the long list of supporters in Congress to get this over the finish line.”
###
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, Instagram and follow our blog for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.