[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to engage in a 
colloquy with Senator Wyden.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise for the purpose of entering into a 
colloquy with the senior senator from Oregon and ranking member of the 
Finance Committee in regards to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  As the senior senator from Oregon knows, the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund was created in a bipartisan manner to help safeguard 
national parks, rivers, lakes and critical habitats for wildlife in all 
fifty States. Over the years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has 
helped protect some of our Nation's most treasured places. Two such 
places are located in Delaware. They are the Bombay Hook National 
Wildlife Refuge and the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Now that 
Delaware has a new national park--the First State National Historical 
Park--the State has even more opportunities to take advantage of the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  As you know, every year, some of the royalties from drilling for oil 
and gas on public lands are paid into the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund. Despite over $900 million coming into the fund every year, only 
about one-third of that amount actually goes toward conservation. The 
funding is diverted elsewhere, despite the huge unmet need across our 
country to safeguard national parks, national forests, national 
wildlife refuges, rivers, lakes, and critical wildlife habitat.
  Two weeks ago, I sought to bring an amendment up for a vote on S. 1, 
the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, in an effort to address some of the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund funding issues. Critical habitats are 
impacted every year by the building of pipelines like the Keystone 
pipeline. Therefore, increasing funding for the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund to help counter these impacts seemed like a relevant 
issue to debate and vote on. Unfortunately, my amendment was tabled, 
along with other Democratic amendments, and we were not able to have 
that debate and vote. Although I am disappointed we were not able to 
address this issue on this piece of legislation, I am determined to 
continue to work on this issue.
  Let me say to my colleague, our ranking member, I know you have been 
a long-time champion for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I would 
welcome the opportunity to work with you and your staff on legislation 
that not only reauthorizes the program, but also better ensures that 
the revenues credited to the Land and Water Conservation Fund each year 
are no longer diverted, but are used instead to meet more of our 
Nation's critical conservation needs. Would the Senator be willing to 
work with my staff and me?
  Mr. WYDEN. I want to thank the senior Senator from Delaware for 
raising this important issue. I would be happy to work with him on this 
issue because, as my friend and colleague from Delaware knows, the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund is not only good for the environment but 
good for local economies. Economists have determined that communities 
that are near or part of protected natural resources have better and 
more sustainable economic outlooks than communities that are not.
  In addition to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, I have been 
working on longer term solutions to the need to reauthorize the Secure 
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, as well as the need 
to consistently fund Payments in Lieu of Taxes. These programs share a 
similar, though not identical, vision as the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund in that they seek to support the rural communities 
that house some of our most important conservation-based treasures. I 
know the Senator seeks to support these sorts of American communities 
and so, while we are working on ensuring the stable continuation of the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund, we can also work together on these 
funds.
  Mr. CARPER. I thank the Senator.

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