On October 2nd, S.569 (the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act) passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This bill would provide permanent re-authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a key program which has provided funds to parks, forests, and public lands throughout the country. Locally, LWCF funds have gone to the Monongahela National Forest, Blackwater Falls State Park, Canaan Valley State Park, and the Davis boulder park. The city of Davis recently sent a letter to the West Virginia congressional delegation stating that LWCF had been beneficial to the community.
Despite there being no substantive opposition to LWCF, it was allowed to expire at the end of September. Now Senators are trying to get re-authorization of LWCF back on track. Both of West Virginia’s Senators have expressed support for LWCF, and Senator Manchin is a sponsor of S.569. In a press release issued when S. 569 passed the committee, he repeated his support for LWCF and love of West Virginia’s wild and wonderful public lands. If you would like to see some of his remarks to the committee, go here. Next, the bill must be voted on by the full Senate. We hope that they move to approve the bill in a timely fashion.
