Bill would permanently reauthorize LWCF while missing opportunity to protect public lands across Colorado

The U.S. Senate passed legislation that includes a long-awaited permanent reauthorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).  The Conservation Fund is America’s most successful parks and public lands program and has brought Colorado more than $268 million to help fund 1,000 projects across the state. The Fund expired on September 30, 2018 and needs congressional action to continue.

The legislation adopted by the Senate also contains over 2 million acres of land protection for some of our country’s most treasured landscapes and remaining wild places. However, the Senate missed an opportunity to advance public lands bills that could protect historic, recreation, and conservation lands across Colorado.  Not since 2014 has a large public lands conservation effort passed, and not since 2009 has one this significant passed.

The following statement is from Jim Ramey, Colorado state director for The Wilderness Society:

"Renewing the Conservation Fund is a big accomplishment. We are grateful to the leadership from Senators Bennet and Gardner in securing permanent reauthorization of our most successful parks program so that future generations can enjoy our parks and public lands. Yet this was a missed opportunity to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of Colorado’s public lands. While other states across the West, including neighboring Utah and New Mexico, benefitted from bi-partisan efforts to move conservation and recreation bills forward as part of a broader public lands package, numerous widely supported bills that would have protected public lands in Colorado were not included. We look forward to working with both Senators Bennet and Gardner to pass the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, and hope that Senator Gardner will apply the same vigor with which he supported the Conservation Fund to efforts to move the CORE Act forward.”

RESOURCES
B-roll for broadcast use: CORE Act
Media resources: Land Water Conservation Fund
TWS blog on senate passage of S.47