Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I come to the floor to urge my colleagues to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This has been a very important program for preserving our outdoor spaces and the beauty of our country. It is particularly important to my home State of New Hampshire, where this fund actually comes from leasing revenues from oil and gas, and so these are dollars that are supposed to be designated for this purpose since the law was passed in 1965. I am very disappointed that this body has allowed the LWCS authorization to expire.

We have a bipartisan bill, which is cosponsored by Senator Burr, Senator Bennet, and myself--the Burr-Bennet-Ayotte bill, which is one that I will seek unanimous consent on in a moment. It has a number of cosponsors. This is a very bipartisan bill. Senator Tester, Senator Shaheen, Senator Alexander, Senator Collins, and Senator King have also cosponsored this bill. This bill would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

We know from a previous vote in the Senate, we have 60 votes for permanent reauthorization. People on both sides of the aisle feel very strongly about preserving our great outdoors in this country.

In New Hampshire, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been used on 650 projects, from every aspect of our State--from Sunapee to Ossipee, to Berlin, to Seabrook, to my home city of Nashua, and the Mine Falls Park that I run in every day whenever I am home.

According to travel officials, 660,000 visitors are expected to travel to New Hampshire this weekend over the Columbus Day holiday. We welcome them, but they are coming to experience the beauty and iconic fall foliage of New Hampshire, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund has given them opportunities to enjoy our great outdoors, whether it is hiking, bicycling or hunting, whatever they like to do in the great outdoors.

Protecting our treasured outdoor spaces is not a partisan issue. We should work together on this issue and extend this important fund. I urge this body to immediately take up and pass the reauthorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and to continue to preserve our great outdoors, this beautiful country, and my beautiful State of New Hampshire. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped to preserve our beauty not only in New Hampshire but across this country and our Nation.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 10, S. 338; I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

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Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I am obviously disappointed that an objection has been rendered by my colleague from Utah, but I will say I appreciate his interest in making sure we maintain our public parks and lands, and this is certainly an interest that we all share together. It is my hope that we reauthorize this program--I know there are some very important projects that can go forward not only in New Hampshire but across the country--because you can't do anything new unless you reauthorize it.

I am disappointed that there is an objection, but I am hoping this is something we can overcome and make sure we can work together and get this reauthorized.

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