Senate Deal Affects Public Lands in Arizona
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The future appears positive for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal program that in Arizona helps pay for the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and the Coconino National Forest. A bipartisan deal recently reached in the Senate would extend funding for the 50-year-old program, which is set to expire at the end of September.
Julie Pastrick, president and chief executive of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, said public lands, including the nearby Coconino National Forest, are a big part of the regional economy.
"The outdoor-recreation industry is huge to our economy," she said. "We have more outdoor recreation retail outlets per capita in Flagstaff, than in any other Western community."
According to the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation generates more than $10 billion in consumer spending and helps to support more than 100,000 jobs in Arizona each year. Created by Congress, money for the Land and Water Conservation Fund comes from fees paid by oil and gas companies for drilling offshore.
At the federal Department of the Interior, Deputy Secretary Michael Connor said climate change is another factor in the mix - adding pressure to better protect dwindling water supplies.
"The dramatic droughts going on in the West, and just the fact that water resources are most affected by increasing temperatures - there is a renewed focus within the LWCF to specifically look at investments that protect watersheds," he said.
Legislation in Congress could permanently, fully fund the LWCF at $900-million per year. Congress has a history of raiding the fund for other purposes.
Information about the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce is online at flagstaffchamber.com.
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