Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) hailed House passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, one of Congress’ most significant investments in environmental conservation in a generation.

“Since the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LCWF) was established by the Congress in 1965, America has preserved its most unique and beautiful lands and waters. I’m thrilled as a cosponsor of this landmark Act to take the next step for future generations and help communities become more resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis. The recently released Climate Crisis Action Plan recommended passage of the Act to provide full and permanent funding for the LCWF – and the Congress followed through.

“Here in the Sunshine State, LWCF has provided funding to protect some of Florida’s most special places. Floridians understand that our public lands and water are central to our way of life and our economy. We know that the changing climate poses a threat to everything we hold dear in Florida, and we also know that LCWF plays a powerful role in mitigating the climate crisis and restoring critical ecosystems and wildlife populations. In Florida, these funds are especially important to conserving and restoring wetlands that serve as hurricane storm buffers and protecting habitats that are shrinking as a result of rising temperatures and other climate impacts.

“Our children and future generations deserve the right to create memories amidst Florida’s wild beauty - from the Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge to the Gulf Islands to the Key Deer National Refuge and everywhere in between.  I am so proud to join my Tampa Bay neighbors in celebrating today’s bipartisan passage to protect our special places for generations to come.”

Every state and county in the nation has benefited from LWCF, all without taxpayers spending a single tax dollar. Since 1965, LWCF has funded 42,000 projects across the country that have tremendous economic benefits as well as environmental. In fact, studies show that each dollar spent on LWCF has the potential to generate twice that amount in economic activity. Additionally, our outdoor recreation contributes $887 billion annually to the economy and supports 7.6 million jobs.

More information about state-by-state LWCF impacts is available at https://www.lwcfcoalition.com/map-of-lwcf