Rep. Zeldin & Bipartisan Congressional Coalition Introduce Legislation to Fully Fund Land & Water Conservation Fund

Press Release

Today, Representatives Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), Jeff Van Drew (D, NJ-2), Raul Grijalva (D, AZ-7), Deb Haaland (D, NM-1), Ruben Gallego (D, AZ-7), Jared Huffman (D, CA-2), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D, CNMI-AL), Alan Lowenthal (D, CA-47), TJ Cox (D, CA-21), Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-1) and John Katko (R, NY-24) introduced the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act, which fully funds the LWCF at its authorized level of $900 million annually.

"In Suffolk County alone, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has provided funding for over 65 parks, supporting public access, fishing, hunting, recreation and our environment without taking a dime of taxpayer money," Congressman Zeldin said. "On Long Island, our coastal economy is a vital component of our overall economy, and clean water, land and air are essential priorities all protected by the LWCF. I've been proud to help lead the successful fight to permanently reauthorize this important fund in the House, and now it's time to ensure LWCF receives the vital funding it needs each and every year."

The Land and Water Conservation Fund protects parks, trails, wildlife refuges and recreation areas at the federal, state and local level. For more than 50 years, it has provided critical funding for land and water conservation projects, access to recreation, including hunting and fishing, and the continued historic preservation of our nation's iconic landmarks from coast-to-coast.

LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars -- it is funded using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities contribute more than $887 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 7.6 million jobs.

Since the creation of LWCF, over 90 Suffolk County projects have been funded, including:

South Jamesport Boat Launching Site

Hampton Bays Softball Field

Wildwood State Park Beach Building in Wading River

Montauk State Park Showers and Comfort Station

Acquisition of Havens Beach in Sag Harbor

Shoreline Protection in Orient Beach State Park

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley

In February, Congressman Zeldin helped secured permanent reauthorization for the program.

Source