Land and Water Conservation Fund Expiration

The Honorable Lisa Murkowski
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Maria Cantwell
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Rob Bishop
Chairman
Committee on Natural Resources
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Raul Grijalva
Ranking Member
Committee on Natural Resources
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Murkowski, Ranking Member Cantwell, Chairman Bishop, and Ranking Member Grijalva:

The nation’s governors urge Congress to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) before it expires on September 30th. We encourage you to quickly reach an agreement on reauthorization because any lapse would create budgetary uncertainties for states that rely on the LWCF to support recreation and conservation initiatives.

Governors have used LWCF matching grants through the state assistance program for decades to fund parks and other outdoor recreation initiatives, and this program has been an instrumental tool for states to address their conservation needs. Attached are governors’ recommendations for reauthorizing LWCF to benefit both federal and state programs that receive funding.

We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to reauthorize the program and provide quality public recreation and conservation opportunities.

Sincerely,

Governor Matthew H. Mead, Wyoming
Chair, Natural Resources Committee

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., California
Vice Chair, Natural Resources Committee