June 14, 2022

Wyden, Colleagues Fight for Increased Investments for Land and Water Conservation

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he is calling for increased investments in the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for fiscal year 2023. In a bipartisan letter addressed to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Wyden and colleagues requested an investment of $450 million in discretionary funds, in addition to mandatory LWCF funding to address the numerous ready-to-go project opportunities.

"From protecting clean drinking water to making the outdoors more accessible to everyone, the Land and Water Conservation Fund is essential to the health of our communities. More recreation around our natural wonders also means more good-paying jobs in places like rural Oregon," Wyden said. "Simply put, if you want to support rural economies and make sure our public lands are enjoyed for generations to come, more funding for the LWCF must be a priority." 

Along with Wyden, the letter was signed by Senators Richard Burr, R-N.C., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif. Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02) led a similar House letter that was signed by Reps. G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Jared Golden (ME-02), Jared Huffman (CA-02), John Katko (NY-24), Annie Kuster (NH-02), Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Peter Welch (VT At-large District), and Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02).

“We applaud the bipartisan members of Congress who are joining Representative Neguse and Senator Wyden to support increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)," said Tom Cors, Director of Government Relations for Lands, The Nature Conservancy. “These vital additional funds will help protect land, water, wildlife and way of life in every corner of the country, from the smallest local and state parks, to our iconic National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges and beyond. LWCF funding was established as a floor, not a ceiling - we stand ready to work with LWCF’s Congressional champions to secure added funding beyond the levels provided by the Great American Outdoors Act, to address these unmet needs and grow our recreation economy. The time to bolster our investment is now."

A full version of the Wyden-led letter is here.