It is impressive enough that Congress managed to pass a spending bill to fund the government through September 2017 without the now-routine threats of shutdowns and other brinksmanship games that have plagued legislators steeped in partisan rancor. Even better is that the omnibus measure contains funding for programs important to Colorado and La Plata County. Both the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired in September, and the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program – which provides funds to communities where non-taxable federal acreage dominates the land base – are included in the spending bill, signaling a critical investment in Western priorities, and values held dear locally.
For more than 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been one of the United States’ bedrock programs that articulates a commitment to investing in “outdoor-recreation resources” that strengthen the “health and vitality of the citizens,” according to the bill establishing the fund in 1964. Since then, the LWCF has dedicated nearly $17 billion to state and federal efforts – including more than $450,000 in La Plata County – to protect and dedicate land to outdoor recreation. However, Congress failed to reauthorize investing in the program before it expired at the end of September.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, has long been a leader calling for permanent reauthorization of the fund, and marshaled bipartisan support to include a three-year extension of the program in the spending bill passed Friday. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, joined Bennet in the push and the result is a welcome reprieve for the beloved program that has helped fund segments of the Animas River Trail, the Bodo Park State Wildlife Area, several city of Durango park investments, and an expansion of Hillcrest Golf Course. With the LWCF reauthorization, which includes $450 million for the 2016 fiscal year, communities across the country can look forward to continued investment in outdoor assets.
The Payment in Lieu of Taxes program is essential for communities with large expanses of federal lands upon which no property tax is levied. La Plata County certainly qualifies, with 432,915 such acres, for which PILT paid the county $538,955 this year. That money is critical to helping cash-strapped counties fund schools, infrastructure and other services that property tax is used to support. Congress has long recognized the PILT’s importance, but the program has not had a legislative home for several years, making it vulnerable to expiration on several occasions. By including it in the omnibus spending bill for 2016, and fully funding it at $452 million, lawmakers have provided communities that rely on the program some budgetary breathing room for the coming fiscal year.
Both LWCF and PILT are programs that should be permanently reauthorized so as to protect them from the rancor that too often compromises legislative progress – particularly on matters that are, or should be, non-controversial. While the spending bill passed Friday gives the programs a reprieve, lawmakers must push ahead to ensconce them both in federal law for the duration. Bennet’s leadership thus far has been critical to the victories achieved Friday; it will be essential to longer term progress. In the meantime, Congress has achieved a major milestone with welcome fallout for La Plata County.
