The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been our nation's most successful conservation and recreation program for 52 years, and in less than a year this program will expire unless reauthorized by you and your colleagues in Congress. LWCF has invested funds in every state and nearly every county of the U.S. - creating opportunities for Americans to play outside at their local playgrounds and ballfields, visit iconic landscapes at our national parks, national forests and wildlife refuges, and experience America at historic and cultural sites. LWCF has invested $637 million in protecting the places that matter most to Washingtonians, like Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Columbia Gorge.
Eliminating LWCF would break the long-standing promise to the American people to invest a small portion of revenues from offshore energy development in lasting natural infrastructure: our land, outdoor recreation economy, access to hunting and angling opportunities, water resources, and the history and culture of our great nation.
This program is overwhelmingly popular and has maintained broad bipartisan support due to its more than half-century history of successful, locally-driven conservation. Permanent reauthorization legislation in the House (H.R. 502) and Senate (S. 569 and S. 896) have strong bipartisan support --a rare bright spot of common purpose and momentum across party lines that we will continue to foster and support.
Eliminating LWCF, gutting its funding, or placing restrictions on its use would undermine the economic asset that is our federal, state, and local public lands. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreation activities contribute a total of $887 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 7.6 million jobs. Cutting and gutting LWCF puts the outdoor recreation economy at tremendous, unnecessary risk -our jobs, our livelihoods, our quality of life and our businesses are at stake.
We fervently hope to see permanent re-authorization and full, dedicated funding enacted during the 115th Congress. If you have not already done so, please cosponsor LWCF re-authorization legislation in the House (H.R. 502) or Senate (S. 569 & S. 896) and sign on to any Dear Colleague letters circulated to demonstrate support for reauthorizing and funding this important program.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a vital program to millions of Americans across the country. Your local communities, businesses, and constituents need the certainty that it will remain as a robust and flexible set of conservation tools for future generations. We appreciate your doing all you can to sustain this important commitment to our land and water, our wildlife, our history and our way of life.