The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership roundly praised the recent Senate vote passing a measure that would facilitate restoration activities in Gulf Coast regions affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and expand funding for land conservation across the nation.
This passage of the amendment to the Senate Transportation Bill advances the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act, which dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties charged to BP to restoration of Gulf Coast resources and economies. It also includes two years of dedicated funding, at $700 million per year, to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses a portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas leasing to conserve fish and wildlife habitat and increase access and recreation opportunities for sportsmen and the general public. Following this vote, the Senate and the House of Representatives will consider the full Transportation Bill, likely later this year.
“Today’s vote stands as a shining example of how conservation policy can be – and should be – bipartisan,” said TRCP President and CEO Whit Fosburgh. “Sportsmen of all stripes, whether saltwater anglers or big-game hunters, can celebrate this historic action and the movement of thoughtful conservation policy through Congress. It’s also important to note that this vote represents an investment in the nation’s conservation- and recreation-based economy, which supports more than 9 million jobs across the country.”
Nationally, activities related to fishing support more than 1 million jobs and contribute almost $125 billion annually to the economy, with the Gulf region alone supporting more than 82,000 jobs and $8 billion in economic output.
Read the full press release at: http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/13312827271qkmkz5wb4g
Senate passes measure funding Gulf restoration
