Council calls on Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund

August 23, 2010

Summary

Fund is supported by revenues from offshore oil and gas leases

Story

The Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously passed a motion expressing its support for Congressional legislation to provide full funding for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is currently set to expire in 2015. The adopted motion also calls for balanced federal and state/local allocations for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, as funding in recent years has been weighted heavily toward federal allocations.

“With the catastrophe in the Gulf as a recent reminder of the environmental toll offshore oil and gas drilling can take, this is an opportunity to leverage revenue from offshore drilling for environmental preservation,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, sponsor of the legislation. “Acquiring open space and recreational lands is a priority to the people of this region, so we welcome the opportunity to receive federal dollars to protect local resource lands.”

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, supported by offshore oil and gas lease fees, has been an important instrument in acquiring open space and recreation lands, through a state grant program funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Because the Fund has not received full funding from Congress, and funding has not been balanced between state grants and federal acquisition programs, the fund has not been able to reach its full potential.

As a result of the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Congress is taking a closer look at various issues associated with oil and gas lease programs. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is included in that review, and legislation before Congress would provide for both full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and for balanced allocations between state and federal services.

Local environmental advocacy groups such as the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition have joined the Council in advocating for full and balanced funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.


The adopted legislation advances the Council’s priority of Environmental Sustainability.