WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved a major land conservation bill that activists have sought for years, delivering a rare bipartisan win propelled by the election-year interests of endangered Republicans.
In a 73 to 25 vote, the Senate sent to the House legislation that would guarantee that the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund receives its annual $900 million allocation and also set aside $9.5 billion over five years to tackle a longstanding maintenance backlog in the national parks.
Advocates who have been battling to secure the reliable fiscal commitment almost since the fund for acquisition and preservation of public lands was created in 1965 hailed the legislation as one of the signature environmental accomplishments of recent years and said it was remarkable the Congress could achieve it in a period of such intense partisanship.
“It is a testament to the importance of this historic conservation legislation that has brought so many of us together during such a toxic atmosphere,” said Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the chief Democratic sponsor of the Great American Outdoors Act. “Yet that is the beauty of our nation’s great outdoors. It brings us all together — all walks and shapes and political preferences. It makes no difference. We all love the outdoors.”
The bill has widespread support in the House and is expected to move quickly to final passage.
But its success was about more than just a shared affection for wide open spaces. Passage of the bill was a political triumph for two Senate Republicans in tough races — Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado and Senator Steve Daines of Montana — who were the designated Republican point men on the bill. Both have made it a central element of their arguments for re-election.
The legislation had its Republican detractors, which would usually be sufficient grounds for Senator Mitch McConnell Kentucky and the majority leader, who prefers to keep intraparty divisions out of public view, to avoid bringing it up on the floor. But in this case, Mr. McConnell allowed the legislation to proceed and used a procedural tactic to block amendments, drawing the ire of some of his Republican colleagues who complained they were being shut out of the process.
“This why we have the Senate, so that we can air out grievances, so that we can air out our differences, so that we can make improvements to legislation,” said Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, who said that Senate no longer merited its reputation as the world’s greatest deliberative body if it was going to bar real debate. “It is not living up to its name, to its history, to its traditions, to its capacity, nor to its constitutional purpose.”
Mr. Lee and some other Western Republicans worried that guaranteed money for the fund, which relies on offshore oil and gas drilling royalties to acquire private land for public access and use, would lead to more government holdings in their states. Lawmakers from along the Gulf of Mexico, where much of the nation’s offshore drilling occurs, were unhappy about being prevented from proposing a change that would have directed more money to their states to curb coastal erosion, arguing that the Senate was putting vacation spots over homeowners.
Critics also contended that the money for the park improvements would be added to the deficit, at a time when federal red ink is spiraling because of pandemic spending.
Backers of the measure said failing to act now on the maintenance backlog would only put off the borrowing, leaving it to future generations to pay for it.
“Just as sure as you borrowed money from the bank, it’s debt that’s going to have to be paid and it’s going to have to be paid in the future, which means it’s going to cost more,” said Senator Angus King, Independent of Maine. “What we’re doing here is eminently fiscally responsible because we’re paying off a debt and we’re preserving these wonderful, incredible places for people to visit and enjoy.”
Environmental advocates have clamored for years for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to get the full allocation of federal dollars called for by law, but Congress has often raided the fund, leaving a long list of potential projects without the money to go forward. Lawmakers were sympathetic to the problem, but it has taken an unusual set of circumstances to push the measure forward.
Backers of the bill say the stay-at-home orders issued in the pandemic have made Americans much more appreciative of outdoor recreation, increasing the bill’s popularity. And the parks funding is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and help communities that have been suffering from a loss of tourism — another selling point.
At the same time, Republicans recognized the potential political benefits for Senators Daines and Gardner if they were able to take home a big win for the thousands of outdoor enthusiasts in their respective states.
Mr. McConnell, who has been a strong supporter of the measure, said the circumstances presented a “unique opportunity to actually make a law.”
“Fortunately, here we had two important bills that enjoyed bipartisan support and a way to actually make a difference for the country,” he said. “It is in proximity to an election, but that makes it even more remarkable that we are absolutely able to get together.”
The House and Senate both passed legislation last year to make the lands fund permanent, but the bill did not guarantee the money. President Trump signed it, just one day after the White House had released his budget for the coming year that gutted the fund, proposing to claw back more than $20 million that had been allocated for it in 2019 and calling for no new funding in 2020.
The administration had again proposed slashing the fund in its budget this year, but Senators Gardner and Daines joined Mr. McConnell in February in visiting the White House to make a personal appeal to Mr. Trump to reconsider. He announced on the spot that he would sign the measure if they could deliver it to his desk.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
