[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15430]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DAVID G. REICHERT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on September 3, 1964, President Johnson 
signed the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) into law, 
establishing a dedicated and permanent means for the protection of 
America's irreplaceable recreational, natural, historic, cultural and 
outdoor resources.
  The 50th anniversary is an occasion for celebration, but also a 
reminder that LWCF's authorizing legislation expires in within a year. 
As we commemorate LWCF's half-century track record of success, it is 
imperative to secure reauthorization of the program before that date.
  LWCF is fully paid for without relying on the support of American 
taxpayer dollars. Every year, $900 million of the many billions of 
dollars the U.S. Treasury collects from offshore oil and gas drilling 
is deposited into the LWCF trust fund. These revenues are a promise 
made to the many communities across America that rely on these resource 
lands, and on the conservation and recreation economies they support.
  This arrangement has served our nation well, helping to realize a 
long list of conservation successes over the past 50 years without 
costing taxpayers a dime. This includes creating outdoor recreation 
opportunities in every state and 98 percent of counties across the 
country--opening up key areas for hunting, fishing, and other 
recreational access; supporting working forests and ranches; and 
acquiring inholdings and protecting critical lands in national parks, 
national wildlife refuges, national forests, Civil War battlefields and 
other federal areas. From the Pacific Crest Trail to the North 
Cascades, the Mountains to Sound Greenway to Lake Chelan, the high 
quality of life and outdoor opportunities in Washington have been 
protected by LWCF.
  Outdoor recreation activities in Washington directly support 227,000 
jobs and consumers spend $22.5 billion on outdoor recreation equipment, 
apparel, lodging, and other services, generating $1.6 billion in state 
and local tax revenue. Further investments are needed to replace funds 
that have been redirected and to ensure that we can continue to protect 
our national treasures, such as the Yakima River Basin in my home 
state. This is an area not only used and beloved by hikers, campers, 
hunters, and fisherman but is also critical in providing drinking water 
and irrigation.
  LWCF does more than simply add acreage to our public lands--it 
provides an entire suite of conservation tools to address national, 
state, local and regionally driven priorities across the country. These 
include working land easements that keep working forests in production 
and jobs in rural economies--rather than forcing family forest owners 
to subdivide and sell off portions of their land to developers. 
Additionally, these often include purchase of inholdings within the 
boundaries of existing public lands which make management more 
efficient by reducing the cost of fencing, boundary surveying, 
firefighting and other costs and ensuring access for land management.
  As we celebrate the 50th anniversary, the best way to honor the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund is to make sure Congress provides the 
necessary funding levels so it can continue its history of success for 
our great nation.

                          ____________________