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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS FEBRUARY 4, 2015 | 11 Daines’ Habitat-Funding Amendment
Fails in Keystone Pipeline Debate
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Lawmakers’ rejection of amendments from two Senate Republicans cast doubt over future of Land and Water Conservation Fund
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
The U.S. Senate on Thursday shot down an amendment by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines that would have given priority to a program that funds wildlife habitat and recreational access without explic- itly reauthorizing it.
The amendment’s failure cast doubt over the half-century-old program’s fu- ture and raised the hackles of sports- men groups who wondered why the freshman senator from Montana vot- ed against a similar amendment that would have explicitly reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund in perpetuity.
Immediately on the heels of Daines’ amendment’s defeat, the Montana sena- tor voted against an amendment by Sen. Richard Burr, of North Carolina. The fellow Republican’s amendment urged Congress to permanently reauthorize the program, but the measure was de- feated by a single vote.
The votes came during debate on the Keystone XL pipeline bill, and Daines’ amendment, which expressed support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund but did not expressly direct Con- gress to reauthorize the program, failed 47-52. It required 60 votes to be at- tached to the Keystone bill, which the Senate passed later that day.
Eight Republicans voted against Daines’ amendment, breaking ranks and joining Democrats including U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, to handily defeat the amendment.
Following the vote, Burr put forth his own amendment that overtly reau- thorized the LWCF in perpetuity before the program expires on Sept. 30, 2015. It failed on a vote of 59-39. Tester vot- ed in favor of Burr’s amendment, while Daines voted against it.
“Last year the LWCF celebrated 50 successful years of bipartisan support in protecting some of America’s great public landscapes. Our public lands in Montana are under attack from all sides,” said John Sullivan with the Mon- tana chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “We are disappointed with Senator Daines’ attempt to dismantle such a successful public land conserva- tion program. We hope Senator Daines will reverse course and listen to the citi- zens of Montana.”
The Land and Water Conservation
Steve Daines at the U.S. Senate debate at Montana Tech in Butte last year. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Fund collects royalties from federal off- shore oil leases and makes the money available for matching grants to buy fish and wildlife habitat and increase access for recreation like hunting and fishing. In its half-century, the fund has provid- ed $16 billion for conservation projects, including about $400 million in Mon- tana.
The Rails-to-Trails bike and pedes- trian path that stretches from Somers to Kalispell to Kila was funded in part by LWCF funds, as was Kalispell’s Law- rence Park. It has also helped secure approximately 70 percent of the fishing access sites in Montana while securing land in the Swan Valley for hunting.
Daines’ spokeswoman Alee Lock- man said the senator supported LWCF, but sees room for improvement, partic- ularly in terms of increasing transpar- ency in the program, ensuring funds are better utilized to expand access to pub- lic lands, and to increase the state’s role in the program.
“Steve is a strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and believes it has been instrumental in increasing access to our public lands, growing opportunities for outdoor rec- reation, and protecting wildlife. How- ever, there is room for the program to be improved so that our existing federal lands can be better managed,” she said in an email. “Steve believes that this im- portant program should be thoroughly evaluated in a transparent legislative process so that these improvements may be made. The amendment Steve had introduced affirms the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, while allowing the opportunity for commonsense improvements to be
incorporated so that the program can be even more effectively used to maintain and increase access to our public lands.”
The freshman senator’s move raised the ire of sportsmen groups across the state, who called Daines’ amendment sterile compared to Burr’s amendment, which would have permanently reau- thorized LWCF and earmarked 1.5 per- cent of the funds for hunting and fishing access.
What’s more, they said, Daines’ vote in favor of Burr’s amendment would have approved the amendment. Observ- ers fear its failure could undermine and unravel program.
“The Land and Water Conservation Fund is vital to landowners striving to protect access, open spaces and wildlife. It is disappointing that Senator Daines has taken a position that is contrary to what his constituents have clearly and plainly said to him: Reauthorize LWCF,” said Jim Stone, a livestock pro- ducer from Ovando and chairman of the Blackfoot Challenge.
The Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range near Ovando is another example of LWCF funding.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Daines defended his amendment as supporting the LWCF program while allowing flex- ibility for additional oversight and im- provement.
“My amendment would support au- thorization through the legislative pro- cess and allow for oversight and trans- parency in improving the pro-gram.” Daines said Thursday on the Senate floor. “My amendment is not intended to undermine the integrity of the pro- gram.”
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