Heinrich, Udall back conservation fund bill
President Donald Trump asked Congress on Twitter earlier this month to send him legislation that would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall are among lawmakers taking him up on the request.
They joined a bipartisan group of senators who introduced the Great Outdoors Act, which would annually provide $900 million for the LWCF. The legislation would also provide $9.5 billion – $1.9 billion annually – over five years for deferred maintenance projects at the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education schools.
Heinrich told the Journal the Trump administration seemed to be on board with the legislation.
“(Interior) Secretary (David) Bernhardt certainly seemed very supportive,” he said.
The LWCF has provided more than $312 million in New Mexico since 1965 for projects such as baseball and soccer fields to improvements and land acquisitions for state parks, wildlife refuges and national parks and monuments.
“LWCF has helped preserve many treasured public lands including the Valles Caldera, Ute Mountain, and Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico that power our thriving outdoor recreation economy,” Heinrich said.
Trump’s post on Twitter seemed to be an about-face from his proposed fiscal 2021 budget that included a 97% cut for the fund he permanently authorized in legislation last year.
“LWCF is one of the most successful conservation tools that we have, and this bipartisan breakthrough is a momentous win for New Mexico and the nation that has been decades in the making,” Udall said in a release. “However we got to this point, I’m glad that we are going to get this done for the American people.”
Both senators said the LWCF helps outdoor recreation be an economic driver in the state. Udall’s office said outdoor recreation is a $9.9 billion outdoor industry, which supports 99,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in wages.
The $1.9 billion annually over the next five years for projects would address maintenance needs at public lands and at BIE schools.
He said the elevators problems at Carlsbad Caverns is among the needs that will be addressed, “which is something we’ve been working on for years.”
Heinrich said the legislation would immediately address maintenance needs at BIE schools such as HVAC needs. Heinrich spokesperson Aaron Morales said the bill would provide funding for water lines for the schools.
The full breakdown of the $1.9 billion funding for deferred maintenance this year includes 70% allocated for the National Park Service, 15% for the U.S. Forest Service, 5% for the USFWS, 5% for BLM and 5% for BIE schools.
