[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). 
This crucial program has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support and 
over the course of its 50-year existence has conserved iconic 
landscapes in every state. Investing in public parks and recreational 
areas is one of the most direct and effective steps we can take to 
ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the natural beauty of 
our country.
  Indeed, my public service began with a fight to preserve the 
beautiful beech-maple trees of Hart's Woods outside of Rochester, New 
York. Developers had targeted this magnificent forest for commercial 
development, but my neighbors and I worked together to delay their 
plans. Every time I return home and pass by the trees we were able to 
save, I am reminded of the importance of preservation.
  And, Mr. Speaker, there are few better ways to conserve and protect 
our nation's wilderness and environment than by supporting the LWCF. 
Since its creation during the Johnson Administration, the LWCF has 
preserved national forests, recreation areas, parks, wildlife refuges, 
Civil War battlefields, and historic sites across our country. This 
program also provides matching funds to support countless state park 
and recreation projects.
  These investments not only directly preserve our nation's natural 
beauty, but also contribute to our economy. Access to open space drives 
economic development, boosts property values, and provides healthy 
outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and tourists alike. 
Ensuring recreational access to existing public lands for hunters, 
anglers, and other outdoors recreationists is one of the important 
successes of this program and all of these activities support local 
economies. In my home state of New York alone, outdoor recreation 
generates $33.8 billion in consumer spending and $12.4 billion in wages 
and salaries.
  Importantly, the LWCF accomplishes all this at little cost to the 
taxpayer as the program is funded through fees paid by companies 
drilling offshore for oil and gas. It is hard for me to believe that 
this body would fail to reauthorize such a valuable program that 
creates so many tangible benefits at such little cost.
  I strongly support the LWCF. I urge all of my colleagues to ensure 
that the LWCF is reauthorized so that we can continue to preserve open 
spaces not only for all those who rely on these natural resources for 
their livelihood, but also for the benefit of our children and 
grandchildren.

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