Conservation Groups: House Riders Threaten CA’s Land, Water
July 27, 2011
A U.S. House vote is expected today on a bill some California groups say will undermine existing conservation efforts and reverse key regulations that protect wildlands and other resources.
The Interior Department budget bill de-funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), bringing it to its lowest level in history. Pablo Rodriguez, executive director of Communities for a New California, thinks that would be devastating for the state. He says the fund generates more than $3 billion in annual state tax revenues, supports 400,000 California jobs and brings in an estimated $46 billion to the state's economy.
"That's $10 billion more than even California agriculture produced last year. So, that's just how big of a benefit the Land and Water Conservation Fund can be, or is, to California."
In addition to its economic value, Rodriguez says, the fund protects California's drinking water as well as preserving parks and other recreation sites for families.
"These are places where you can enjoy the parks and our wetlands and our wildlands for less than $20 for your whole family. So, this is drastically making a cut into the vitality and what it is that the West is all about."
The LWCF is funded by a small percentage of fees from offshore oil and gas drilling, which some in Congress want to divert for other uses.
President Obama recommended full funding for LWCF, but the House Interior Appropriations Bill calls for less than 7 percent of that level, an amount Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., says isn't enough to cover the projects requested for California, let alone the rest of the nation.