Congressional cuts threaten Acadia's Lower Hadlock Pond project

By Jason Wimbiscus | Mar 03, 2011- The Bar Harbor Times

A Maine environmental group, along with Friends of Acadia, has expressed concern over the recent decision of the U.S. House of Representatives to cut funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund in spite of President Barack Obama’s recommendation that the program receive more than $600 million in funding. Such a cut would affect a variety of state and federal land projects across the nation, including one in Acadia National Park.

The United States Land and Water Conservation Fund was established by an Act of Congress in 1964 to provide money to local, state and federal governments for the purposes of purchasing privately owned land, water and easements for addition to such public lands as state and national parks. The dollar amount of the program is capped at $900 million, but this maximum has only been authorized twice during the history of the program. The program is paid for through a percentage of revenues from offshore oil and gas development.

The president makes recommendations for specific Land and Water Conservation Fund projects in an annual report. Such recommendations are based on public demand as well as on input from federal land management agencies. Funding for recommended projects must then be approved by the U.S. Congress.

Prior to making its recommendations to Congress this year, the Obama administration held more than 50 listening sessions around the country — including one in Bangor last September — to obtain public input on how fund monies should be allocated. Environment Maine, a Portland-based environmental protection organization, attended the Bangor session in order to highlight the need for additional federal funding for land acquisitions within Acadia National Park.

One such acquisition to be funded by the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund was the purchase of 37 acres of land surrounding Lower Hadlock Pond that are currently owned by the Mount Desert Water Company. The total price of the land was $3 million; from that amount $1.76 million was to be funded through the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund, with the remainder being paid for out of the 2012 fund.

 While the Obama administration’s recommendation to Congress was to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the amount of $619 million for the federal fiscal year 2011, the House of Representatives approved an appropriations bill on Feb. 19 that would cut $532.6 million out of the fund, leaving $84.6 million to pay for numerous land and water purchases nationwide.

 According to Nathaniel Meyer, field associate with Environment Maine, such cuts have dire implications for Acadia National Park.

“Congress’ resolution guts the fund so much that it is unlikely that Acadia would get that funding [for the Lower Hadlock Pond project],” said Meyer.

Congress’ appropriations bill is also of concern to Stephanie Clement of Friends of Acadia.

 “The cuts that the House passed recently take the Land and Water Conservation Fund down to its lowest level of appropriation in history and Acadia was in the president’s budget in FY 2011 for partial funding for a land acquisition project . . . If the House levels that passed for fiscal year 2011 also pass the Senate, most likely that project will drop off the list to be funded,” said Clement.

Friends of Acadia has entered into an agreement with the Mount Desert Water Company allowing them to pay for the Hadlock Pond Land in two installments, which buys the project extra time, but Clement is skeptical that the result of the 2012 appropriations bill will be more favorable to the Land and Water Conservation Fund than the 2011 bill.

“The president in fiscal year 2012 has recommended fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million and he also included full funding for the Lower Hadlock Pond Project, so that’s good news,” said Clement. “But I also don’t trust that the fiscal year 2012 budget will have any different fate than 2011.”

Cuts to the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund must now pass the Senate in order to become final.