The bipartisan bill, introduced April 9 by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, has 17 cosponsors, including North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr. It is currently awaiting action from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

In February, Congress voted to permanently reauthorize the LWCF, which had lapsed since its expiration in September 2018. The current legislation would build on that passed in February by ensuring that funds already being deposited into the U.S. Treasury for the LWCF — $900 million annually — are spent only for that purpose. The funds are often diverted for other purposes, and since it was first created in 1964 the LWCF has received its authorized funding level just twice, according to the LWCF Coalition. In its 50-year history, about $22 billion intended for the program has been siphoned off for non-conservation purposes. 

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created to protect natural areas using revenues from offshore oil and gas extraction, with those funds going to conserve land, support parks and recreation projects, and protect wildlife and drinking water. 

For more about the LWCF’s importance to Western North Carolina, visit bit.ly/2PuYdT7.