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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Congress Close to Approving Big Public Lands Package

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Thursday, February 21, 2019   

SEATTLE – Congress is poised to pass a massive public lands package that includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Approved by the Senate last week 92-to-8, the House is set to vote on the bill as soon as next week.

The LWCF has strong support from the public – favored by three-quarters of Americans, according to a National Wildlife Federation poll – and has backed a wide range of projects in Washington state, including boat launches, city parks and trails.

Tracy Stone-Manning, vice president for public lands with the National Wildlife Federation, says public lands offer a rare opportunity to unite Americans.

"In a time when our country is so divided, this one issue – the ability to bring people together around public lands, around protection of our wildlife – has punched through as something that is so uniquely and beautifully American that it has brought the Senate together, and we're hoping it does the House as well," she states.

The LWCF expired in September.

Washington state has received more than $675 million from the program since it began in 1965, opening up access to places such as the Olympic National Forest, Columbia River Gorge and Yakima River.

It's funded through royalties paid by energy companies for offshore oil and gas drilling.

Land Tawney, president and CEO of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, notes the outdoors is a big stimulus for the country's economy.

Outdoor recreation generates more than $26 billion a year in the Evergreen State.

"In this conversation about jobs, jobs, jobs and the economy, this is one of the most solid things that we can put our investments behind, which is our public lands and our public waters," Tawney states.

Maite Arce, president and CEO of the Hispanic Access Foundation, says public lands are a key component of the American identity.

"They're places that not only preserve our shared cultural heritage and provide access to recreate, but it also provides millions of jobs,” she stresses. “And it often provides the only means to experience the outdoors, because this program supports local and municipal parks and projects."

Along with authorization of the LWCF, the bill also will support a water project in the Yakima Basin, designate the National Nordic Museum in Seattle and protect part of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest from mining development.


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