Source: Sen. Richard Burr, 3/15/19

This week, President Trump signed into law a bipartisan public lands package, which included an effort of mine to make the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent. This popular program was founded in 1965, but had to be periodically renewed by Congress. Now, under the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, LWCF will be able to carry out its important conservation work with certainty. This is especially good news for North Carolina and our countless parks, recreation sites, and hiking trails.

Here’s how LWCF benefits our state:
• Invests in Iconic North Carolina Parks: Since its founding, the LWCF has invested more than $246 million to protect North Carolina’s iconic national parks and recreational centers, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
• Preserves Important Historic Sites: The LWCF recently protected 51 acres of Civil War battlefields from urban development by giving localities the resources to acquire portions of the Averasborough and Bentonville Battlefields.
• Creates Jobs and Grows Our Economy: Each year, the LWCF supports more than 260,000 jobs across the state, generates $8.3 billion in wages, and produces $1.3 billion in state and local tax revenue.
• Operates at No Cost to Taxpayers: One of the best things about the LWCF is that it costs taxpayers nothing. The LWCF uses royalties earned from offshore oil and gas revenues to support these public lands. The beauty of the program is that revenue from one natural resource is reinvested in preserving others. 

Over the last decade, I have been proud to make saving LWCF a top priority, so North Carolina can better preserve, maintain, and expand public lands for future generations to enjoy. And while this week’s news is a major milestone, rest assured my work in the Senate promoting commonsense conservation efforts will continue.