HELENA— Today, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund (MCVEF) announced a new advertising campaign asking Senator Steve Daines to do his job by permanently reauthorizing and fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

First established by Congress in 1965, LWCF is funded by offshore oil and gas royalties rather than taxpayer dollars, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to protect open space, historic sites and increase access for outdoor recreation. Through this program, nearly $600 million has been invested in the Big Sky State, which is critical to supporting Montana’s outdoor recreation economy that generates 71,000 jobs and over $7 billion in consumer spending.

Due to inaction from key members of Congress, including Senator Daines who is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks with jurisdiction over LWCF, the program expired on September 30. The expiration of LWCF not only creates uncertainty for the future but also could result in funds being cut off for new public land access and community recreation projects in Montana and elsewhere in the United States.

Senator Daines has previously made statements in support of LWCF and is a co-sponsor of S.896 which would permanently reauthorize this critical program, but he has not shown leadership to move the bill forward or secure full funding. While MCVEF is pleased to see his vote in support of LWCF in the latest Energy and Natural Resource Committee markup, the legislation should never have expired in the first place.

“Senator Daines is trying to have it both ways with LWCF – first saying he will fight for the fund, and then turning his back,” said Rick Potts, Interim Executive Director of Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund. “Montanans need to know that their Senator is letting them down when it comes to our public land and supporting outdoor industry jobs.”

MCVEF’s new campaign will consist of a billboard in Belgrade, newspaper ads in Billings and Bozeman and aerial advertising in both Bozeman and Missoula.

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Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund (MCVEF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to educate citizens and organizations in the basic techniques of effective civic engagement to further environmental and conservation goals. MCVEF programs educate the public about critical environmental and public lands issues; promote greater non-partisan citizen involvement in the democratic process; and provide strategic tools to conservation organizations to be more effective.

Contact
Whitney Tawney
Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund
whitney@mtvoters.org, (406) 254-1593