The Land Trust Alliance has endorsed many of the provisions in H.R. 798 and its companion Senate bill, S.446, because they would provide funding for purchase of conservation easements and the largest allocation for state grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), two vital provisions for nonprofit land trusts working to conserve open space. Strong bipartisan support is building in Congress for legislation to devote $1 billion to $2 billion annually for land protection through LWCF and other programs.

The President’s proposed budget includes $440 million for acquisition of federal lands and $150 million for matching grants to states through LWCF, as part of his "Lands Legacy Initiative." The state grants would be awarded through a competitive grants program and would limit the use of grant to the acquisition of lands and easements. The President also introduced a "Livable Communities Initiative" to help communities develop planned growth strategies and enhance the quality of life in their area. The President has said he would seek legislation to provide permanent funding for the programs outlined in these initiatives, but, so far, no such bill has been introduced.

Below is information on these bills and proposals, in addition to an alternative bill (H.R. 701) called the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. Read about these, and what you can do to see that your interests are addressed.

The Resources 2000 Act
H.R. 798, the Resources 2000 Act, introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), and its Senate companion, S. 446 by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) would provide permanent annual funding from offshore oil and gas drilling revenues as follows:

• LWCF, for acquisition of federal lands: $450 million.
• LWCF, for matching grants to states, two-thirds of which are allocated by formula and one-third by competitive grant applications: $450 million.
• Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Act (UPARR), for grants to cities to maintain, improve and purchase parks and recreation facilities: $100 million.
• Farmland Protection Program, for matching grants to states, Tribes, or land trusts for purchase of conservation easements on farmland: $50 million.
• Ranchland Conservation Program, for matching grants to states, Tribes, or land trusts for purchase of conservation easements on rangelands: $50 million.
• Forest Legacy Program, for matching grants to states for purchase of conservation easements on forest lands: $50 million.
• Historic Preservation Fund: $150 million.
• Programs for conservation and management of ocean fish and wildlife distributed by a formula that is not tied to offshore oil and gas production, but instead distributes two-thirds to states based on coastline size and population and provides one-third for competitive grants: $300 million.
• Grants to states for development and implementation of state wildlife conservation plans for non-game species under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act: $350 million.

LWCF, for acquisition of federal lands: $378 million, a relatively small increase over recent years’ funding. The bill requires that two-thirds of the money be spent east of the 100th meridian, the approximate location of Dodge City, Kan. The bill also would prohibit expenditure of more than $1 million for federal lands without further legislation, not now required for new wildlife refuges or for acquisition of large inholdings in existing parks, refuges and national forests.

• LWCF, for matching grants to states allocated by a formula based on size and population: $378 million.
• Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Act (UPARR): $144 million.
• Impact aid for coastal states to offset the effect of offshore drilling, divided by a formula that gives oil and gas producing states a greater proportion of the funds: $1.24 billion.
• Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT), for counties with federal lands: $70 million.
• Aid to state fish and wildlife agencies, distributed to the states by a formula with similarities to the Teaming With Wildlife proposal of past years: $440 million.

• (UPARR): $4 million.
• Farmland Protection Program: $50 million.
• Forest Legacy Program: $50 million.Grants to states for “smart growth” planning: $50 million.
• Funding for state and federal habitat conservation programs: $80 million.
• Coastal restoration funds: $200 million.

What You Can Do

1. Meet with your U.S. Representative and Senators to express your support for legislating permanent funding for land protection.

2. Ask your Representative and your Senators to:
   • Cosponsor one of the bills;
   • Write and talk to the sponsors of all of the bills, emphasizing the key issues most important to you;
   • Support action by the Budget Committee to provide room in the budget for an increase in land protection spending.

3. Engage your board, your supporters, your local government, and your state government to do the same.

4. Let LTA know what you have done (e-mail or call Russ Shay, 202-638-4725).

Land trusts should tell their representatives what programs will do the most to protect lands in their own district -- and urge them to work to see that the final bill provides funding for those programs. Ask your Senators and Representative to:

1. Cosponsor at least one of the bills to show support for creating a stable source of federal funding for land protection.

2. Write or talk to the prime sponsors of all the bills to support funding of programs designed to protect important lands in your area. If your area needs funding to purchase conservation easements, money would be provided by the Farmland Protection Program, the Forest Legacy Program, and the new Ranchland Protection Program proposed in H.R. 798.

3. Write or talk to each bill’s sponsors to express support for making funding available to private, nonprofit land trusts in order to help private landowners protect their lands.

4. Write or talk to the bills’ sponsors regarding maximum funding for state grants from the LWCF. In the past, LWCF provided funding for acquisition by state parks, state forests and local and regional parks.