{ "id": "RL33531", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL33531", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 600776, "date": "2019-06-19", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T18:12:58.989034", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": "The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 was enacted to help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities to strengthen the health of U.S. citizens. The law created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Treasury as a funding source to implement its outdoor recreation goals.\nThe LWCF has been used for three general purposes. First, it has been the principal source of monies for land acquisition for outdoor recreation by four federal agencies\u2014the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Second, the LWCF provides \u201cfinancial assistance to states\u201d by authorizing a matching grant program to assist states in recreational planning, acquiring recreational lands and waters, and developing outdoor recreational facilities. There are two components to this \u201cstateside\u201d program: the traditional formula state grants and the more recent competitive state grants. Third, beginning in FY1998, LWCF has been used to fund other federal programs with natural resource-related purposes, such as the Forest Legacy program of the Forest Service and grants under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund of the Fish and Wildlife Service. \nUnder the LWCF Act, the fund is authorized to accrue $900 million annually from multiple sources. However, nearly all of the revenue is derived from oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The LWCF receives additional money under more recent legislation (P.L. 109-432, \u201cGOMESA\u201d). Throughout the history of the LWCF, $40.9 billion in revenues have accrued under both the LWCF Act and GOMESA.\nCongress determines the level of discretionary funding for the three LWCF purposes through the annual appropriations process. These discretionary appropriations have fluctuated widely since the origin of the program. In addition, any funds deposited under GOMESA are mandatory appropriations for the state grant program. Mandatory appropriations were relatively small from FY2009 to FY2017. They increased substantially beginning in FY2018 and are expected to remain relatively high over at least the next decade. \nLess than half of the $40.9 billion in total revenues that have accrued in the LWCF have been appropriated ($18.9 billion), leaving an unappropriated balance of approximately $22.0 billion in the fund. FY2001 marked the highest funding ever, with appropriations from the LWCF exceeding the authorized level by reaching nearly $1 billion. For FY2019, the most recent fiscal year, the total appropriation was $506.6 million (with $435.0 million in discretionary funds and $71.6 million in mandatory funds). \nThe $18.9 billion appropriated through the history of the program has been allocated unevenly among federal land acquisition (60%), the state grant program (26%), and other purposes (14%). Similarly, federal land acquisition funds have been allocated unevenly among the four agencies. \nRecent Congresses have considered a variety of issues pertaining to the LWCF, through authorizing and appropriations legislation and other debates. The 116th Congress enacted several changes to the LWCF Act (in P.L. 116-9, Section 3001), including to make permanent annual deposits to the fund of $900 million and to specify portions of funding for \u201cfinancial assistance to states\u201d and land acquisitions that foster access to federal lands for recreation. Other issues remain under debate. A recurring question is the optimal level of funding for LWCF overall and its individual components. Other questions involve whether to provide additional mandatory appropriations to the LWCF; authorize LWCF funds for other programs or purposes, such as maintenance of agency lands and assets; and alter the formula for traditional stateside grants or legislatively establish criteria for competitive grants, among others.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33531", "sha1": "0e9033c83ec5db1affdd3f87bbde139cb863de11", "filename": "files/20190619_RL33531_0e9033c83ec5db1affdd3f87bbde139cb863de11.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190619_RL33531_images_d88911f951348e5d6fe5d89f1c2c4d22bfc0d7db.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/2.png": "files/20190619_RL33531_images_ecd0cbe72d2b0265b96e2275173b4f9f0f2867af.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/3.png": "files/20190619_RL33531_images_c542e6c379367ee5ba4a5c542430da973b15cc4a.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190619_RL33531_images_812eef446a2d428c78589cf5153f73e4c2b935db.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33531", "sha1": "8a5e8b3312fb0de14e7feaadb29f6a7c8ba44187", "filename": "files/20190619_RL33531_8a5e8b3312fb0de14e7feaadb29f6a7c8ba44187.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4773, "name": "Interior & Environment Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4841, "name": "Federal Land Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584303, "date": "2018-08-17", "retrieved": "2019-04-18T13:53:47.371728", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": "The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 was enacted to help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities to strengthen the health of U.S. citizens. The law created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Treasury as a funding source to implement its outdoor recreation goals.\nThe LWCF has been used for three general purposes. First, it has been the principal source of monies for land acquisition for outdoor recreation by four federal agencies\u2014the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service. Second, the LWCF also funds a matching grant program to assist states in recreational planning, acquiring recreational lands and waters, and developing outdoor recreational facilities. There are two aspects to this \u201cstateside\u201d program: the traditional state grants and the more recent competitive state grants. Under the traditional state grant program, a portion of the appropriation is divided equally among the states, with the remainder apportioned based on need. Each state awards its grant money based on its own outdoor recreation plan and priorities. The competitive state grant program, begun in FY2014, funds recreation projects in urbanized areas meeting certain criteria. Third, beginning in FY1998, LWCF has been used to fund other federal programs with related purposes, such as the Forest Legacy program of the Forest Service and grants under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund of the Fish and Wildlife Service. \nUnder the LWCF Act, the fund is authorized through September 30, 2018, to accrue $900 million annually from multiple sources. However, nearly all of the revenue is derived from oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The LWCF receives additional money under more recent legislation (P.L. 109-432, \u201cGOMESA\u201d). Throughout the history of the LWCF, $40.0 billion in revenues have accrued under both the LWCF Act and GOMESA.\nCongress determines the level of funding for the three LWCF purposes through the annual appropriations process. These discretionary appropriations have fluctuated widely since the origin of the program. In addition, any funds deposited under GOMESA are mandatory appropriations for the state grant program. Mandatory appropriations were relatively small from FY2009-FY2017. They increased substantially in FY2018, and are expected to remain relatively high at least over the next decade, due to additional revenues from leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. \nLess than half of the $40.0 billion in total revenues that have accrued in the LWCF have been appropriated ($18.4 billion). FY2001 marked the highest funding ever, with appropriations exceeding the authorized level by reaching nearly $1 billion. For FY2018, the most recent fiscal year, the total appropriation was $487.6 million (with $425.0 million in discretionary funds and $62.6 million in mandatory funds). \nThe $18.4 billion appropriated through the history of the program has been allocated unevenly among federal land acquisition (61%), the state grant program (25%), and other purposes (14%). Similarly, federal land acquisition funds have been allocated unevenly among the four agencies. \nA variety of issues pertaining to the LWCF are the subject of legislation, hearings, and other debate. Some of them are being considered as part of deliberations over whether to reauthorize the LWCF beyond September 30, 2018. Issues include the optimal level of funding for LWCF overall and its individual components, whether to reauthorize provisions of the LWCF, and whether to retain discretionary appropriations or provide additional mandatory appropriations. Other issues involve whether LWCF funds should be used for additional purposes, such as maintenance, or set aside for particular priorities, such as securing additional access to federal lands for recreation. The priority of the state grant program vis-\u00e0-vis federal acquisition is being debated, as is the extent to which the fund should be used for other programs benefitting states.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33531", "sha1": "03a2f171c3c9a7aefe491bd1ac962ed8ad910921", "filename": "files/20180817_RL33531_03a2f171c3c9a7aefe491bd1ac962ed8ad910921.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180817_RL33531_images_64cb419dec61aa78184c5750ebe1c3abff46effb.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/2.png": "files/20180817_RL33531_images_9fb0f3e8724c3ef4af631c5194bbd9e40c5e64f0.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/3.png": "files/20180817_RL33531_images_a4aaae7d503d3d048fa13d1babce6f44e5db27cb.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33531_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180817_RL33531_images_63f634cdd86f7e9023f7a7dbd53fafc4c2a44280.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33531", "sha1": "078678d3a4a08865548f4687140add350326a418", "filename": "files/20180817_RL33531_078678d3a4a08865548f4687140add350326a418.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4773, "name": "Interior & Environment Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4841, "name": "Federal Land Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455578, "date": "2016-09-06", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T21:39:34.244298", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": "The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 was enacted to help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities to strengthen the health of U.S. citizens. The law created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Treasury as a funding source to implement its outdoor recreation goals.\nThe LWCF has been used for three general purposes. First, it has been the principal source of monies for land acquisition for outdoor recreation by four federal agencies\u2014the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service. Second, the LWCF also funds a matching grant program to assist states in recreational planning, acquiring recreational lands and waters, and developing outdoor recreational facilities. Under this traditional state grant program, a portion of the appropriation is divided equally among the states, with the remainder apportioned based on need, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. The states award their grant money through a competitive selection process based on statewide recreation plans and establish their own priorities and criteria. For FY2014-FY2016, Congress appropriated funds for a competitive state grant program in addition to the traditional state grant program. Third, beginning in FY1998, LWCF has been used to fund other federal programs with related purposes, such as the Forest Legacy program of the Forest Service and grants under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund of the Fish and Wildlife Service. \nThe LWCF is authorized through September 30, 2018, to accrue $900 million annually from multiple sources. However, nearly all of the revenue is derived from oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Congress determines the level of discretionary appropriations each year, and yearly appropriations have fluctuated widely since the origin of the program. Of the total revenues that have accrued throughout the history of the program ($38.0 billion), less than half have been appropriated ($17.5 billion). FY2001 marked the highest funding ever, with appropriations exceeding the authorized level by reaching nearly $1 billion. For FY2016, the most recent fiscal year, the appropriation was $450.0 million. \nThe $17.5 billion appropriated throughout the history of the program has been allocated unevenly among federal land acquisition (61%), the state grant program (25%), and other purposes (14%). Similarly, federal land acquisition funds have been allocated unevenly among the four federal agencies. Under more recent legislation (P.L. 109-432), a portion of revenues from certain OCS leasing is provided without further appropriation to the state grant program. These mandatory appropriations have been relatively small thus far; they are expected to increase beginning in FY2018 due to additional revenues from leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.\nA variety of issues pertaining to the LWCF are the subject of legislation, hearings, and other debate. Some of them are being considered as part of deliberations over whether to reauthorize the LWCF beyond September 30, 2018. Issues include the optimal level of funding for LWCF overall and its individual components, whether to permanently reauthorize the LWCF, and whether to retain discretionary appropriations or provide additional mandatory appropriations. Other issues involve whether LWCF funds should be used for additional purposes, such as maintenance, or set aside for particular priorities, such as securing additional access to federal lands for recreation. The priority of the state grant program vis-\u00e0-vis federal acquisition is being debated, as is the extent to which the fund should be used for other programs benefitting states.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33531", "sha1": "0863e273b60cb6b5cde69f0031386e65385326d7", "filename": "files/20160906_RL33531_0863e273b60cb6b5cde69f0031386e65385326d7.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33531", "sha1": "ac1555f37bb1a30bee404e6a00ad1b22af2e9f8e", "filename": "files/20160906_RL33531_ac1555f37bb1a30bee404e6a00ad1b22af2e9f8e.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4773, "name": "Interior & Environment Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4841, "name": "Federal Land Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447506, "date": "2015-06-17", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:56:07.874579", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": "The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 was enacted to help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities to strengthen the health of U.S. citizens. The law created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Treasury as a funding source to implement its outdoor recreation goals.\nThe LWCF has been used for three general purposes. First, it has been the principal source of monies for land acquisition for outdoor recreation by four federal agencies\u2014the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service. Second, the LWCF also funds a matching grant program to assist states in recreational planning, acquiring recreational lands and waters, and developing outdoor recreational facilities. Under this traditional state grant program, a portion of the appropriation is divided equally among the states, with the remainder apportioned based on need, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. The states award their grant money through a competitive selection process based on statewide recreation plans and establish their own priorities and criteria. For FY2014 and FY2015, Congress appropriated funds for a competitive state grant program in addition to the traditional state grant program. Third, beginning in FY1998, LWCF has been used to fund other federal programs with related purposes, such as the Forest Legacy program of the Forest Service and grants under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund of the Fish and Wildlife Service. \nThe LWCF is authorized through September 30, 2015, to accrue $900 million annually from multiple sources. However, nearly all of the revenue is derived from oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Congress determines the level of discretionary appropriations each year, and yearly appropriations have fluctuated widely since the origin of the program. Of the total revenues that have accrued throughout the history of the program ($37.1 billion), less than half have been appropriated ($17.1 billion). FY2001 marked the highest funding ever, with appropriations exceeding the authorized level by reaching nearly $1 billion. For FY2015, the most recent fiscal year, the appropriation was $306.1 million. \nThe $17.1 billion appropriated throughout the history of the program has been allocated unevenly among federal land acquisition (61%), the state grant program (25%), and other purposes (14%). Similarly, federal land acquisition funds have been allocated unevenly among the four federal agencies. Under more recent legislation (P.L. 109-432), a portion of revenues from certain OCS leasing is provided without further appropriation to the state grant program. These mandatory funds appropriations have been relatively small thus far; they are expected to increase beginning in FY2018 due to additional revenues from leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.\nA variety of issues pertaining to the LWCF are the subject of legislation, hearings, and other debate. Some of them are being considered as part of deliberations over whether to reauthorize the LWCF beyond September 30, 2015. Issues include the optimal level of funding for LWCF overall and its individual components, whether to permanently reauthorize the LWCF, and whether to retain discretionary appropriations or provide additional mandatory appropriations. Other issues involve whether LWCF funds should be used for additional purposes, such as maintenance, or set aside for particular priorities, such as securing additional access to federal lands for recreation. The priority of the state grant program vis-\u00e0-vis federal acquisition is being debated, as is how funds for this program should be apportioned among the states.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33531", "sha1": "c47b9fd9928e4976b0d36cf4e5d8c18e5b4a494b", "filename": "files/20150617_RL33531_c47b9fd9928e4976b0d36cf4e5d8c18e5b4a494b.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33531", "sha1": "8cfb0727f2d5cd53f971a00451cce8f2850e0e79", "filename": "files/20150617_RL33531_8cfb0727f2d5cd53f971a00451cce8f2850e0e79.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2346, "name": "Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies' Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 314, "name": "Federal Lands" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc819232/", "id": "RL33531_2014Oct21", "date": "2014-10-21", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20141021_RL33531_f7041fd1e1799af9f6d1dc03b074a07b2ebd7b0f.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20141021_RL33531_f7041fd1e1799af9f6d1dc03b074a07b2ebd7b0f.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc813357/", "id": "RL33531_2010Aug13", "date": "2010-08-13", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100813_RL33531_f417c6f633325fc57b49039f063cb39fb5b03c82.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100813_RL33531_f417c6f633325fc57b49039f063cb39fb5b03c82.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc820615/", "id": "RL33531_2009Jan07", "date": "2009-01-07", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Current Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090107_RL33531_e884c35e0e96b79b7e4a103dcf2418ea5057acc2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090107_RL33531_e884c35e0e96b79b7e4a103dcf2418ea5057acc2.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs9469/", "id": "RL33531 2006-07-10", "date": "2006-07-10", "retrieved": "2006-12-05T12:48:56", "title": "Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Current Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20060710_RL33531_8c7ccf5c1574edae67a170c270d9bcce569f2e8a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20060710_RL33531_8c7ccf5c1574edae67a170c270d9bcce569f2e8a.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water resources", "name": "Water resources" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Recreation areas", "name": "Recreation areas" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Federal aid to outdoor recreation", "name": "Federal aid to outdoor recreation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Outdoor recreation", "name": "Outdoor recreation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water conservation", "name": "Water conservation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Public lands", "name": "Public lands" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Budgets", "name": "Budgets" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Sports", "name": "Sports" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Natural resources", "name": "Natural resources" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Energy Policy" ] }