Michael Bennet: “I wish to speak today about the Burr- Bennet amendment No. 92, which we are slated to vote on later today. I will be…”

“I wish to speak today about the Burr- Bennet amendment No. 92, which we are slated to vote on later today. I will be brief because it is pretty straightforward. The amendment simply reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and ensures that a dedicated portion of LWCF funds go to provide new access for our Nation's sports men and women. As many in this body know, the Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the country's best and most important conservation programs. It is authorized to provide $900 million annually for efforts to preserve and increase access to our public lands and waterways. These resources historically have been used for projects that range from building city parks, to purchasing small parcels of isolated land from willing sellers, all the way to preserving the Nation's historic battlefields. This past summer in Colorado, we completed a huge LWCF project that retired several old mining claims on the San Juan National Forest near the town of Ophir. Over the Fourth of July weekend, the town invited me and my family to join them in a celebration of the accomplishment, and we took them up on that offer without a moment's hesitation. Ophir sits at 9,600 feet above sea level. It is the kind of place that has a sign on its main road--clearly painted by the kids who live in the town--indicating that their population totals 163 people, including, according to the sign, 55 kids, 30 dogs, and 15 cats.…”