Progress Now Arizona Calls on Senator McSally to Block Attempt to Defund Land and Water Conservation Fund

For Immediate Release
Contact: Emily Kirkland, emily@progressnowarizona.org

PHOENIX, ARIZ. (OCT. 30, 2019) Today, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is under attack in the U.S. Senate. An amendment introduced by Senator Lee (R-UT) would divert funds away from the LWCF and further endanger the natural spaces that so many in Arizona love. The Senate is expected to vote on the Lee amendment today.

Progress Now Arizona is calling on Senator Martha McSally to vote against the Lee Amendment and pledge her support for permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Senator McSally is an avid outsdoorwoman who voted to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund earlier this year. But although she voted for the fund to be reauthorized, she has refused to support fully funding the program, leading to criticism, including a radio and billboard campaign that Progress Now Arizona launched just two weeks ago.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, created in 1964 by Congress with bipartisan support, is the nation’s most important program for protecting and preserving public lands and national monuments. The fund uses revenues from the offshore oil and gas industry to support the preservation of land and water. Over the past 50 years, Arizona has received over $240 million from the LWCF to protect and enhance everything from Grand Canyon National Park to local playgrounds.