Up in arms
Supporters of federal funding for outdoor recreation have reacted angrily to actions by Congress and the administration that eliminate funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund during fiscal 2006.
Created in 1964, LWCF directed royalties from offshore oil and gas to create and protect America’s parks, forests and wildlife refuges. Through 2004, some $27.2 billion had been credited to the fund, but only $13.8 billion had been approved by the appropriations committees for actual use.
Recently, the House Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate funding for 2006. Earlier, President Bush had requested just $150 million to fund the federal part of the program, nothing for state projects. The original enabling legislation intended for approximately $900 million to be funded each year.
Bush pledged funding for LWCF in 2000 but reversed his decision.
This latest Washington maneuvering brought an expression of outrage from the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association.
“The House’s proposed elimination of the Land and Water Conservation Fund is shameful, given a documented need of $836 million for state and local park needs, and an identified stream of dollars to pay for it,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the association.
