Congress: Don't Cut America's Most Important Conservation Program

A battle is looming over America's public lands.

Over its 50-year history, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been America's most important conservation program. LWCF is the only federal program dedicated to preserving our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness, Civil War battlefields and other historic sites, and working forests.

And it doesn't use any of Americans' tax dollars.

It comes from money paid by oil and gas companies who want to drill in offshore waters owned by all Americans.

But Congress is trying to cut this critical conservation program. LWCF is supposed to receive $900 million a year from oil and gas companies, but the House of Representatives has proposed just $152 million—only about one-sixth of the money LWCF is supposed to receive!

This attempt to limit the use and effectiveness of LWCF is a shame. And if citizens across the U.S. don't stand up and demand that LWCF's funding be restored, it will expire at the end of September without congressional reauthorization. Congress should provide the full $900 million funding for the program, and they should pass a bipartisan bill recently introduced that would permanently reauthorize the LWCF Act.

Please sign the petition today to help The Trust for Public Land send a message to Congress that we must ensure America's public lands get the protection they deserve!