The legislation would fully and permanently fund a conservation program known as the Earth and Water Conservation Fund, which was established by Congress in the 1960s and has been chronically insufficient. The measure will require mandatory program funds at a level of $ 900 million annually. Funding for the program does not use taxpayer dollars. Instead, it comes from income from offshore oil and gas royalty payments.
The legislation would also dedicate funds for overdue maintenance projects on federal lands administered by the National Park Service, the Forest Service and other agencies.
Congress’ passage of the legislation represents a rare moment of bipartisan unity on Capitol Hill and comes at a time of national crisis as the country grapples with the devastating number of coronavirus pandemics and prepares for contentious negotiations on further relief for address the economic and public situation. health consequences of the spread of the disease.
Democrats in Congress, including Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, have been fighting for the permanent reauthorization and full funding of the LWF for years, making the passage of the bill lawful. a great victory for the Democrats.
“The stars lined up correctly this time,” Grijalva said in an interview with CNN before Wednesday’s vote. “This is a popular show, people want it and I think that regardless of the party, people are responding.”
“Having it about to be approved is personally very satisfying and worth the work,” he said.
The passage of the measure also represents a victory for two Republican senators who pushed for its approval in the upper house and face competitive reelection races this year: Cory Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana.
Gardner and Daines worked together, including meeting with Trump directly to present their case and win their support for the bill. Gardner and Daines obtained a compromise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to put it to a vote and from the President to sign it.
“I think it is a response to a wave of public support that pushed it to the limit,” Grijalva said of the push to enact the legislation.
“It became politicized, and now it is seen as a political advantage: if the Earth and Water Conservation Fund is not supported, then there will be a reaction from the public,” he said.
Gardner is struggling to keep his seat in a battlefield state that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and where Democrats have recruited former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to run against him.
While Montana is reliably in Republican hands for Trump’s 2020 effort, Daines faces competition from another Democrat with a record of statewide victories – current Governor Steve Bullock.
Both Bullock and Hickenlooper unsuccessfully pursued the 2020 presidential offers, before retiring and then entering Senate races in their respective states.
As Republicans struggle to hold their majority in the Senate in 2020, holding both seats could prove critical to that effort.
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