WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today voted in support of the Natural Resources Management Act, bipartisan legislation that includes a wide range of public lands, natural resources, and water measures. Among the measures included in the bill—which passed the Senate by a vote of 92 to 8—is legislation Senator Capito co-sponsored to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
 
“West Virginia is fortunate to have so much natural beauty and so many valuable natural resources, and this legislation will help us maintain and preserve them for generations to come,” Senator Capito said. “The Land and Water Conservation Fund is an important part of protecting our public lands and maintaining access to some of our state’s most beautiful and treasured destinations. I’ve been a strong and long-time supporter of the program, and we have now taken an important step in providing resources and certainty to the sites and lands it helps protect. I’m also excited that this legislative package includes a measure I supported to establish the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area in West Virginia. These and other measures will help preserve important parts of our state, contribute to our economic potential, and ensure the Mountain State remains one of the most beautiful in the country.”
 
The Natural Resources Management Act reflects the bipartisan Senate-House agreement reached near the end of the last Congress to bundle together more than 100 individual lands bills. The bipartisan package strikes a balance between creating new opportunities for natural resource and community development with limited, locally-supported conservation. It will improve public lands management, protect landscapes, and increase public access for recreation while protecting private property rights.
 
The legislation will: 

  • Permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, with key reforms to strengthen its state-side programs.

 

  • Establish the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area in several parts of West Virginia—including Barbour, Braxton, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Morgan, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, and Webster counties.

 

  • Increase access and opportunities for sportsmen for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities on federal lands.

 

  • Provide for economic development in dozens of communities through land exchanges and conveyances.

 

  • Conserve lands of special importance, provided that such protections are supported by the affected state and surrounding communities.

 
More information on the legislation is available here.


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