Wait for it...Wait....Wait

[Big Fin]

Who'd a thunk it......Bi-partisan support for a Land Conservation bill in the Senate is here. S.B.47 - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/47

This bill was agreed to, almost unanimously, before the government shutdown. But, thanks to Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz, it was not included.

Senate Majority Leader McConnell promised Senators Murkowski, Sullivan, Burr, Daines, and Gardner that he would allow the bill to come to Senate floor after the shut down. Those Republican Senators, along with Democrats Heinrich and Tester are now pushing to have this bill move forward. Senate Leader McConnell has agreed.

I hope it can pass. Some of its critics complain it does not go far enough. It goes a long ways and represents a lot of issues hunting groups have been working toward.

I suggest people keep an eye on this one. The Senate is usually far more sane than the House, no matter which party is in control. If this bill cannot get out of the Senate, it spells bad news for public lands and conservation. And, sets the table for how the 2020 elections will unfold as it relates to states where public lands are high priority.

On a personal note, a big thanks to my two Senators who have worked long and hard on this topic, Senator Jon Tester (D) and Senator Steve Daines (R).

A link to an article that explains a few of the highlights in this bill - https://www.bozemandailychronicle.c...zkFV9oHuLZgmnAXmAkhHSuU_lVjrHcweuUG7azTder5g#

 

[Sytes]

Good stuff coming from our MT representatives. Passing on an, "Atta-boy" message to both.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

Appreciate the share. Unfortunately, it's not listed on many news sources that I can find.

 

[Trial153]

I contacted both my senators, not that I didnt think they were on board but it never hurts

 

[dcopas78]

I'll be contacting my senators as well. Portman usually has a good history of supporting LWCF

 

[Schaaf]

Does this have to then go back to the House?

 

[MJE2083]

Before reading this I had never give any thought to how helium was extracted. Now if people would quit letting those balloons fly all over the place. *said in high pitched voice*

 

[rtraverdavis]

Thanks for the heads up Fin.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I am proud of Senator Murkowski's efforts:

Earlier this month, the bill discussed in this post, is a 600-plus page public lands package (S. 47).
The bill introduced by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/s47/BILLS-116s47pcs.pdf

As chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Murkowski is largely responsible for compiling the bill and negotiating its passage. Lee from Utah blocked the bill earlier, but now Murkowski said leaders on both sides of the aisle have agreed to take up the bill again ,, this time under Rule 14, a process Lee can’t block, not on his own!

If passed, it would make the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent...WOW!

Hopefully More Good News:
30-Jan-2019
On the 30th anniversary of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, U.S. Senators John Kennedy (R-La.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and colleagues introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize NAWCA through 2024. The legislation would also increase authorized annual funding for the program to $60 million.

NAWCA was originally enacted in 1989 to provide federal cost-share funding—in partnership with funding from state and local governments, private industry, and non-profit organizations like Ducks Unlimited—to projects that conserve North America’s waterfowl, fish, and wildlife resources.

 

[hank4elk]

I am grateful for the work my Senator does on Public Lands issue, & actually both are on board from what little MSM attention I have seen on LWCF. I have been following the subject thru NMCV group & NMWF.

 

[Irrelevant]

So I keep reading perm reauthorization, does that mean automatically fully funded too?

 

[Big Fin]

So I keep reading perm reauthorization, does that mean automatically fully funded too?

Nope, unfortunately. Funding level will be another battle. But, better to have fights over funding levels of an existing program with a dedicated funding source, as has LWCF, than to have no program at all.

 

[JLS]

Nope, unfortunately. Funding level will be another battle. But, better to have fights over funding levels of an existing program with a dedicated funding source, as has LWCF, than to have no program at all.

Yep, better to do this incrementally than not at all.

 

[Irrelevant]

agree, I guess I was a little too hopeful.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Fingers crossed.Getr' done Guys.

 

[Greyman]

It's really hard to know how to vote. I voted for Ted Cruz over Beto O'rourke in the last election, but for issues unrelated to public lands. Ted Cruz then turns around and pulls this type of garbage. It's like that old joke "death or bunga-bunga".

 

[Irrelevant]

And it passed the house: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/climate/public-lands-conservation.html

 

[Sytes]

Sweet!

 

[JLS]

Outstanding!

 

[Big Fin]

Word is the President will sign when it gets to his desk.

Lots to celebrate and more work ahead. A framework for consistent and predictable funding is the task ahead, with a hopeful goal of getting is done once the 2020 election is sorted out. Yeah, we would all like it sooner, but reality is unlikely before then. Until then, it is making the compelling case for each project to be funded via Congressional appropriation.

So yeah, everyone who has been working on this since expiration in 2014 should take a few minutes to celebrate.