FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2019
DENVER—As President Trump prepares to sign the largest public lands bill in a decade into law today, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Policy Director Jesse Prentice-Dunn:
“This bill is something every American can celebrate. But it’s ironic that President Trump is signing it the day after he and Acting Secretary Bernhardt once again proposed laying off hundreds of national park employees and eviscerating the Land and Water Conservation Fund—America’s most important parks program.
“Every member of Congress standing next to President Trump as he signs this bill should remind him that his anti-conservation budget is dead on arrival and promise to fully fund our parks and public lands in the coming year.”
The bill signed today, S.47, permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund but does not guarantee any of the money that flows into the fund from offshore drilling royalties will actually go to parks. Congress must still appropriate funds for LWCF each year. The FY 2020 budget released by President Trump and Acting Secretary Bernhardt asks Congress to eliminate 95 percent of federal-level LWCF spending, leaving our national parks open to trophy home development and putting critical wildlife habitat at risk.
Learn more:
- How the landmark public lands bill helps wildlife migration corridors [Westwise]
- Trump administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal made it clear that conservation is not a priority [Westwise]
- Throughout the West, public land conservation is a winning campaign issue [Center for Western Priorities]
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. To speak with an expert on public lands, contact Aaron Weiss at 720-279-0019 or aaron@westernpriorities.org. Sign up for Look West to get daily public lands and energy news sent to your inbox.
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