Lincoln Chafee: “I am extremely pleased to cosponsor the bipartisan amendment, offered by my colleague from Alaska, regarding the Land…”

“I am extremely pleased to cosponsor the bipartisan amendment, offered by my colleague from Alaska, regarding the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The amendment provides $20 million for matching grants to States under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which, for almost 30 years, had enabled small communities throughout the Nation to establish local parks, build sports fields, acquire green ways and trails, and support community gardens. The stateside program under the LWCF is a worthwhile conservation program that for too long has been without any funding at all. It has received nothing since 1995, and States have been strapped to find money for their own conservation efforts without any Federal assistance. As pressures for development and sprawl increase in many parts of the Nation, it is more important than ever to help States protect the open and green spaces that are crucial for a healthy community. And with the recent ballot initiatives to promote conservation that have been approved by voters across the Nation, States now have money available to match Federal dollars through the stateside program. It is now up to Congress to make the Federal money available. For those who criticize the program as a form of pork, let me stress that States must put up 50 percent of the money for their projects. This is not a hand-out.”