1998 FWOC Resolution No. 16:
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Land and Water Conservation Fund
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In recent years, the Land
and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was established by Congress
in 1965, has been funded by Congress far below its authorized level of
$900 million annually. Much of the income which should have gone
into the Fund has been appropriated by Congress for spending that is
unrelated to the below stated purposes in the Act establishing the LWCF.
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(1) Acquiring
privately-owned inholdings in Federal park and land areas.
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(2) Assisting states
(on a matching basis) to acquire new recreational and park areas, and
improving state recreational facilities.
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(3) Funding federal
purchases of land and water areas for recreation and conservation
purposes.
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(4) Providing
federal funds to states for assisting in planning, acquisition and
development of needed land and water areas and recreation facilities.
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The basic problem appears
to be that Congress is merely authorized,
and not required to allocate the $900 million portion of Outer
Continental Shelf petroleum production royalties to the Land and Water
Conservation Fund.
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The Federation of Western
Outdoor Clubs hereby reaffirms it 1997 Resolution #19 and additionally
recommends that the 1965 LWCF Act be amended to require that:
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(1) $900 million of the
approximately $5 billion annual income to the Federal government from
Outer Continental Shelf petroleum production be automatically set aside
and credited to the LWCF, for use in that year or in subsequent years.
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(2) Congressional
appropriations drawing from the LWCF shall be made solely for the
purposes state in the act; other uses of LWCF will be prohibited.
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(3) USe of LWCF for
building roads in Federal land areas, subsidizing timber production for
commercial purposes in any form or for offsetting deficits of any
Federal government agency shall be prohibited.
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ACTION: The FWOC urges its member
clubs and members to write to their Congressional representatives and
ask them to sponsor an amendment to the LWCF Act of 1965 to insure that
the full $900 million be allocated to LWCF for use in acquiring land
and water areas for recreation and conservation purposes.
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