11/16/2015
CONSERVATION: Committee to review Bishop bill overhauling LWCF
Phil Taylor, E&E reporter: E&E News: Monday, November 16, 2015
The House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday will review a draft bill to overhaul the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a major step in what's become a testy debate over how to reauthorize the widely popular, but expired, program.
Members will review a draft measure by committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) that would funnel a greater portion of LWCF money to states to invest in projects like ballparks, boat ramps and trails, while setting strict limits on the purchase of new federal lands.
LWCF, whose 50-year authorization expired Sept. 30, allowed appropriators to spend up to $900 million on federal land acquisition, state recreation grants, conservation easements and wildlife conservation. The law required at least 40 percent of the money go to federal purposes and allowed appropriators to decide how to divvy up the rest.
Bishop's bill would require at least 45 percent of LWCF money be used for stateside grants and allow no more than 3.5 percent be used for federal land acquisition. In addition, it would require at least 20 percent of the money be used to promote offshore oil and gas development and workforce development and send 15 percent to rural counties.
Bishop's bill has drawn praise from state park advocates and fiscal conservatives, though it was widely criticized by conservationists, sportsmen's groups, Democrats and certain pro-LWCF Republicans.
Bishop has argued the program's current funding ratio -- which has resulted in states receiving roughly 12 percent of the funding pie -- is "lopsided" and has allowed the administration and Congress to "vastly expand the federal estate."
"Even more troubling on the federal side is that the money is being spent with little transparency, scant oversight and minimal local input," Bishop said earlier this month.
Bishop has defended spending LWCF on oil and gas development, noting that most of LWCF's funding comes from offshore mineral royalties and that the industry has an aging workforce.
But conservation groups and some Republicans say Bishop's bill would undermine LWCF's core purpose of conserving lands and promoting recreation.
"His rewrite represents a radical departure from the fundamental values and stewardship ethic on which LWCF is based, and his attempt to pawn this off as some sort of revision must be rejected," said David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, a Republican environmental group.
Wednesday's hearing is expected to attract both supporters and opponents of the measure.
Kris Sarri, who President Obama has nominated to be Interior assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, will be sharing the administration's position on the draft.
Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, toldE&E Daily earlier this month that on first blush, Bishop's bill "does not stick to the principles of the Land and Water Conservation Fund."
The committee will also hear from Linda Lanterman of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, an agency that benefits from LWCF's stateside grants program and could see a funding boost under Bishop's bill. Since 1965, Kansas has received more than $50 million from LWCF that allowed it to fund roughly 650 recreation projects in nearly all of the state's counties, according to the department's website.
Members will also hear from Tom Wolfe, a longtime advocate of state grants who previously lobbied for the National Association of State Park Directors. Wolfe last week said he was "elated" that Bishop's bill restores "a healthy level of funding toward the stateside program."
Committee Democrats have invited Travis Campbell, CEO of the fly fishing manufacturing company Far Bank Enterprises, to testify on Bishop's bill. Campbell has been recognized by the Outdoor Industry Association for his advocacy for full and dedicated funding for LWCF.
Democrats on Wednesday are likely to tout the benefits of LWCF across Republican and Democratic congressional districts, including Bishop's.
Bishop in 2009 asked appropriators to include a $500,000 earmark for a land acquisition project at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in his 1st District (E&ENews PM, Nov. 13). The refuge, which consists of marshlands north of the Great Salt Lake, has acquired 2,800 acres using LWCF, according to the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
The next steps for LWCF are unclear.
Advocates for a clean reauthorization are pushing Congress to extend the program as part of an omnibus spending measure, but reform proponents including Bishop and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and James Lankford of Oklahoma are pushing for broad changes.
It's unlikely Bishop's bill could pass Congress in its current form, and it may even encounter resistance from some committee Republicans if it is given a markup.
Schedule: The hearing is Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
Witnesses: Kris Sarri, principal deputy assistant secretary, policy management and budget, Interior Department; Linda Lanterman, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; Madeline Burillo, associate vice chancellor, Houston Community College; Tom Wolfe, former lobbyist for state park directors; and Travis Campbell, CEO, Far Bank Enterprises.
