March 16, 2020 3:05 a.m.
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined a bipartisan group of colleagues last week to introduce legislation to permanently and full fund the Land and Water Conversation Fund and address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in the national parks and other land management agencies.
Wyden said the LWCF is “America’s most important conservation program, working at the federal, state local levels to protect some of Oregon’s most treasured places so they can be enjoyed for generations to come”. He said for years he and other Democrats have paved the way to secure permanent and full funding for the program, only to have Republicans block them, over and over. He said the new bipartisan movement is long overdue and he hopes Senate Republicans will allow the funding “to get across the finish line”.
Merkley said Oregon’s lands and waters have made countless contributions to the economy and spirit of the state. He said this legislation is integral to the effort to protect and maintain what he called “those natural treasures”.