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A long day but a rare win for the environment today and I wanted to share it. I rarely post about what I do, but here goes... 1
Congress just passed a landmark conservation bill to fully fund one of the best programs that conserves special places. It’s called the Land and Water Conservation Fund or #LWCF and it’s been around since Kennedy. 2
The idea behind LWCF is pretty simple. Leta set aside some of the 
generated from oil and gas development on public land - land the American people own - and use it to conserve land, historic sites, create parks or honor our history. Smart right? 3
generated from oil and gas development on public land - land the American people own - and use it to conserve land, historic sites, create parks or honor our history. Smart right? 3
Since it’s inception, LWCF has helped protect or create over 40,000 sites across the country. There’s not a community in this country that hasn’t in some way benefited from the program. 4
And yet despite that success, it’s only ever been fully funded TWICE it’s entire history. On a good year, we spend about HALF of what it should be. Sad. 5
Well that changed today. Despite all we hear about the problems in DC, Republicans and Democrats came together and passed a bill that permanently funds LWCF. Forever. 6
It wasn’t easy. The campaign to do it took DECADES. There were ups and downs. At times, it looked like it might never happen. But through persistence, vigilance, and honestly some of the oddest political stars aligning I think I’ve seen... we did it.
And so what does all this LWCF nonsense mean? Here are just a few examples of the special places that have been protected because of it. And after today, thousands of more projects will be supported because of it. Near and dear to my heart: the Appalachian Trail
The Grand Canyon, AZ
Grand Teton, WY
The California Coastal National Monument
The Everglades, FL
Fort Monroe, VA. Which, through its long witness to history saw the first enslaved people brought to North America in 1619 and was the site of one of the most extraordinary events to end it, with 500,000 enslaved people got their freedom in 1861, in the middle of the Civil War.
to the historic, Ebenezer Baptist Church, GA where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached.
The list goes on, and on, and on.
So today was a good day. And in all of this darkness, in this time our country is being tested (or not), we all need a little sunshine to keep us focused on the fights that are worth fighting for. And the importance of never, ever giving up.
So today was a good day. And in all of this darkness, in this time our country is being tested (or not), we all need a little sunshine to keep us focused on the fights that are worth fighting for. And the importance of never, ever giving up.
