Full funding of LWCF is having its first hearing in the House
Bills that would reduce the massive deferred maintenance backlog on public lands and establish mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, among others, are poised to advance tomorrow in the House.
The House Natural Resources Committee will vote on the “Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act,” H.R. 1225, and the “Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act,” H.R. 3195, which both have bipartisan support.
Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said earlier this month that he wanted to mark up both bills before the July Fourth congressional recess.
The parks and public lands bill, sponsored by the panel’s top Republican, Rob Bishop of Utah, aims to help multiple Interior Department agencies struggling with a total maintenance backlog of roughly $16 billion.
It would create a restoration fund comprising up to 50% of otherwise unallocated revenue from all energy production on federal lands and waters.
The companion bill in the Senate also would establish a fund from unallocated onshore and offshore energy production, but it just targets the $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow will hold a hearing to explore various proposals to whittle down the maintenance backlog at Interior and the Forest Service (see related story).
The House LWCF bill up for a vote tomorrow would make funding for the program mandatory at its current authorized annual level of $900 million. Offshore oil and gas revenues deposited into the fund could be spent without being subject to the appropriations process under the bill, shepherded by New Jersey Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
LWCF collects royalties paid by energy companies for offshore oil and gas drilling for the purpose of public lands conservation.
Van Drew’s bill is identical to legislation Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the top Democrat on Energy and Natural Resources, introduced in April. The Senate panel next week will have a hearing on the implementation of LWCF.
Mandatory funding for LWCF faces resistance among Republicans in both chambers. Bishop and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have both said the legislation is a challenge because of general ideological resistance to mandatory funding for programs.
