WASHINGTON – An amendment to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund was rejected Thursday by the U.S. Senate.
The permanent reauthorization of the fund, which provides grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities, received only 59 of a required 60 votes for passage.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D- Colo., along with Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., introduced the amendment.
“While we’re disappointed the amendment did not pass, (Thursday’s) vote signals that there is strong support for conservation policies like LWCF to help preserve the country’s landscapes for future generations,” Bennet said. “Protecting our land and water is mom and apple pie stuff in Colorado, and we know our state is not the only one. Conserved land and wide open spaces are a huge economic driver across the country, and it’s part of who we are in the West.”
The fund was established by Congress in 1965. It initially was authorized for a 25-year period before it was reauthorized for an additional 25 years in 1990.
The program receives an annual $900 million portion of the billions of dollars in annual natural-gas and oil royalties gained from exploration on federally owned land and water. It does not use any taxpayer dollars, and it does not add to the national debt.
Michael Cipriano is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.
An earlier version of this story misidentified Michael Bennet’s political affiliation. The error was made in editing.
