Obama Budget Increases Land and Water Fund

The budget proposed by President Barack Obama on Thursday proposes to sharply increase investment in public lands through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the federal government's primary program to protect America's irreplaceable natural, historic, recreational, and other treasured landscapes. "This will be a terrific gift from the President to all Americans," said Alan Front, Senior Vice President of the Trust for Public Land (TPL). President Obama proposes spending a budget of $420 million for the LWCF in the fiscal year which begins Oct. 1, 2009. For the current year, Congress is now considering legislation which would provide $171 million for the LWCF program and another $57 million for the federal Forest Legacy Program, which helps protect working forests around the nation. The President's budget also proposes to provide full funding of $900 million a year by 2014 for LWCF...Press Release