LWCF: House Natural Resources Committee Advances Bill to Save LWCF

September 13, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Corey Fisher cfisher@tu.org / (406) 546-2979 House Natural Resources Committee Advances Bill to Save LWCFLand and Water Conservation Fund expires September 30 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved a compromise that would permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), ensure equity between funding allocated to state and federal LWCF programs, and dedicate funding for improving access for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. The bi-partisan agreement reached by Chairmen Bishop (R-UT) and Ranking Member Grijalva (D-AZ) marks an important step forward for reauthorizing the program, which is set to expire on September 30, 2018 if Congress does not take action. “LWCF is our country’s premier program to fund public access, fish and wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation,” said Corey Fisher, public land policy director for Trout Unlimited. “It is unthinkable that Congress would let this program expire and today’s action by the House Natural Resources Committee was critical to make sure that it doesn’t.” Since 1965, LWCF has invested more than $16 billion into local communities in every state to provide funding for everything from public land acquisitions to developing local outdoor recreation sites. LWCF has provided funding to secure fishing access to famous fisheries like the Madison River in Montana, Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania, the Upper Colorado River in Colorado and the Brule River in Wisconsin 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. “We thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for their leadership working in a bi-partisan manner to find a path forward to permanently reauthorize LWCF,” said Steve Moyer, vice president of government affairs for Trout Unlimited. “We look forward to working with the House and Senate to follow in their footsteps to ensure that this vital program supports our outdoor traditions for generations to come.” Read Trout Unlimited letter supporting the agreement to permanently reauthorize LWCF.Learn more about the LWCF on TU.org LWCF 101 TAKE ACTION TO SAVE LWCF