U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today secured a $10 million increase for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), bringing funding for the program to $435 million for 2019. Daines is a member of the Interior Subcommittee on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations that has funding jurisdiction over the LWCF.
“Over the past week, we’ve made significant progress for the LWCF from securing an increase in funding, to passing the bipartisan public lands package out of the Senate,” Daines said. “I will not stop fighting for full funding of this critical program that is so important for our public lands and Montana way of life.”
The $435 million includes funding for several Montana LWCF projects: Everson Bench, MT Wildlife Refuge, Kootenai Forestland, Beavertail, Swan Range and Clearwater-Blackfoot.
On Wednesday, after Daines’ work to secure the vote, the Senate passed the public lands package 92-8 which includes permanent reauthorization of LWCF. Daines will continue fighting for full funding of the LWCF.
The next step is for the U.S. House to vote on the funding, and for it to be sent to the president’s desk for signature.