PNTS.org
August 30 2017
The House Appropriations Committee is recommending appropriating $275 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to be used for acquiring land for conservation and recreation for Fiscal Year 2018. This is $125 million less than Congress appropriated for Fiscal Year 2017. During the Committee’s markup of the 2018 Bill, Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen and Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert both stated that they are willing to seek greater funding for LWCF in deliberations with the Senate later in the appropriations process. The House and Senate are expected to work toward passing the 2018 Appropriations bills in September after Labor Day.
Included in the recommended $275 million for the LWCF is funding for land acquisitions along or adjacent to these National Trails:
Bureau of Land Management
• Mojave Trails National Monument CA – Old Spanish NHT: $1.4M
• North Platte River Special Recreation Management Area WY – Oregon NHT: $1.3M
US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge PA – Appalachian NST: $500,000
National Park Service
• Appalachian NST – NY: $2M
• North Country NST – MI: $3.472M
US Forest Service
• Trinity Divide CA – Pacific Crest NST: $5M
Total: $13,672,000
If Congress appropriates $400 million for LWCF projects as it did for Fiscal Year 2017 then projects along the Continental Divide NST and Overmountain Victory NHT could be funded.
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