Senator Collins Joins Bipartisan Group in Introducing Amendment to Fully Fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced an amendment to the Senate funding package to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for fiscal year 2020.

“LWCF is our country’s most important and successful conservation and outdoor recreation program,” said Senator Collins. “This amendment would provide full funding for LWCF and build on our bipartisan success of permanently reauthorizing the program. Through these efforts, we can help to ensure both current and future generations can enjoy the beauty of natural resources in Maine and across the county.”

The LWCF was established by Congress in 1965 to ensure access to outdoor recreation spaces for present and future generations and to provide money to federal agencies and state and local governments to acquire land, water, and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. The LWCF has supported more than 42,000 state and local projects in communities across the country. 

Earlier this year, legislation to permanently authorize LWCF was enacted with Senator Collins’ strong support.  In April, Senator Collins joined a bipartisan group in introducing legislation to permanently fund LWCF at $900 million per year.  LWCF has only been funded at its maximum authorization level of $900 million twice in its history.