{"id":4118,"date":"2015-12-11T10:40:27","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T16:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pnts.org\/new\/?page_id=4118"},"modified":"2021-03-30T10:30:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T15:30:21","slug":"land-and-water-conservation-fund","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pnts.org\/new\/our-work\/land-and-water-conservation-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy, Congressional, and LWCF Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Busy Time on Capitol Hill (3\/29\/21)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is a busy time on Capitol Hill. A\u00a0 FY22 \u201cskinny\u201d budget is expected this week and the President Biden\u2019s FY22 budget is expected in May or June 2021. The \u2018skinny\u2019 budget <\/span>should provide Congress with information about the President\u2019s discretionary funding priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 16, 2021, Deb Haaland <\/span>took the oath of office<\/span><\/a> to become the 54th secretary of the Department of the Interior. Last week, the nomination of Elizabeth Klein to become the Interior Department\u2019s deputy secretary was withdrawn. Other nominees are being vetted but a new nominee has yet to be announced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several bills that would impact National Trails are making their ways through Congress. <\/span>H.R.803 – Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act<\/span><\/a> passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. In addition to p<\/span>roviding for the preservation, conservation, and recreational use of public lands in several states and territories, it calls for <\/span>designation of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail as a unit of the National Park System <\/span>and for the establishment of an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program. In previous years, PNTS has supported the unsuccessful National Scenic Trails Parity Act (S.1027 \u2014 116th Congress) that would have required the Ice Age, North Country, and New England national scenic trails to be administered as units of the National Park System.\u00a0<\/span>While PNTS is pleased to see the inclusion of unit status for<\/span>\u00a0the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in this bill, we <\/span>continue to support parity for Ice Age, North Country, and New England national scenic trails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H.R. 1162 – 21st Century Conservation Corps Act<\/span><\/a> would make supplemental appropriations for U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Department of Interior for the management of land and resources and funding for programs including <\/span>Every Kid <\/span>Outdoors<\/span>, <\/span>For<\/span>est Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program, as well as the establishment of a 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps program. The 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps program would make grants to eligible youth or conservation corps, acting in partnership with project partners, to carry out Civilian Conservation Corps projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

H.R.463 – Transportation Alternatives Enhancements Act<\/span><\/a>, would <\/span>improve the transportation alternatives program and would serve other purposes including providing funds for <\/span>t<\/span>he Recreational <\/span>Trails<\/span> Program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado<\/span> Outdoor<\/span> Recreation<\/span> and <\/span>Economy<\/span> Act <\/span>(<\/span>H.R 577<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>S.173<\/span><\/a>) would protect over 400,000 acres of public lands, waterways, and outdoor recreation opportunities in Colorado, including some of the Continental Divide\u2019s most stunning landscapes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grand Canyon Protection Act (<\/span>H.R.1052<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>S.387<\/span><\/a>) passed the U.S House of Representatives and was introduced to the Senate in February 2021. It would protect over 1 million acres surrounding Grand Canyon National Park, including parts of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, from new uranium mining by making permanent an existing but temporary 20-year moratorium on mining for the Canyon\u2019s north and south rims.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bills have been introduced that would designate new National Trails. <\/span>H.R.973 – Central Coast Heritage Protection Act<\/span><\/a> would designate a Condor <\/span>National<\/span> Scenic Trail, a trail extending approximately 400 miles from Lake Piru in the southern portion of the Los Padres <\/span>National<\/span> Forest to the Bottchers Gap Campground in the northern portion of the Los Padres <\/span>National<\/span> Forest. If passed, the bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study within three years of the date of enactment. <\/span>H.R.810 – To amend the <\/span>National<\/span> Trails<\/span> System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Chief Standing Bear <\/span>National<\/span> Historic Trail, and for other purposes<\/span><\/a>. This legislation would <\/span>direct the Department of the <\/span>Interior to conduct a study on feasibility of designating as a <\/span>national<\/span> historic trail the Chief Standing Bear Trail that extends 550 miles from Niobrara, Nebraska, to Ponca City, Oklahoma, which follows the route taken by Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people during their forced removal, and 550 miles from Ponca City through Omaha to Niobrara, Nebraska, which follows the return route taken by Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people.<\/span><\/p>\n

ACTION ALERT<\/span><\/p>\n

A letter focused on the <\/span>Transit to Trails Act<\/span><\/a> is available to share with Representatives if you wish to\u00a0 demonstrate widespread support for this legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nomination Hearings for the Biden-Harris\u00a0Administration and Updates from the Department of Interior (2\/26\/21)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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