Washington, D.C. — The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Legislative Representative Laura Forero:

“Today’s committee passage of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent funding bill is a crucial step to secure full, permanent, and dedicated funding for our national, state and local parks, and to ensure access to green spaces for all communities in our country. We congratulate Senator Manchin for moving his bill forward and urge Leader McConnell to bring this bipartisan bill to the Senate floor for a vote without delay.

Despite this victory, we are disappointed by the passage of the COASTAL Act in committee, as this bill would further incentivize oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of Alaska, exacerbating the risks of devastating oil spills on coastal communities and increasing carbon pollution. The committee’s support of the nomination of Katharine MacGregor for Deputy Secretary of Interior is also concerning. Her anti-conservation views, aggressively pro-extraction track record, and demonstrated bias in favor of big polluters make her unqualified to be the second in command at the Department of Interior overseeing the management of our majestic public lands and waters.”

###