Bill providing equal treatment to the U.S. territories under federal natural resources programs heads to the President’s desk

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives approved last night S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, which includes legislation promoted by Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón to provide equal treatment to the U.S. territories under the Land and Water Conservation Fund and access to the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. S. 47 now heads to the President's desk for his signature.

The legislation permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and provides equal, state-like treatment to the U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia under the program for the first time in history.
The Congresswoman has been actively advocating for this policy change since the last Congress, when she and the delegates from the other territories and the District of Columbia joined together to introduce H.R.4179 - LWCF Parity for Territories and DC Act.

González-Colón also spoke in favor of a similar amendment when the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced its own legislation to reauthorize the LWCF.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 was enacted to help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation resources in the United States. It created the LWCF as a funding source of federal and State grant programs for recreation planning, acquisition of lands and waters, and facility development. A portion of the State Assistance appropriation is divided equally among the States.

However, under the current statutory formula, the U.S. territories and D.C. together are considered a single state. This "state" share is then divided among the six jurisdictions in accordance with population. S. 47 fixes this disparity by including language that provides full, state-equivalent share in yearly grant funding for each territory and the District of Columbia.
Congresswoman González-Colón also informed that the Senate lands package includes language to make U.S. territories eligible to receive federal funding under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, which currently only applies to foreign or international organizations.

At least four of the seven species of sea turtles are found in Puerto Rico's waters: the leatherback, the hawksbill, the green turtle, and the loggerhead. The inclusion of this language in the lands package will ensure that state agencies and nonprofit organizations on the Island can access federal grants to continue efforts to conserve and protect these magnificent creatures.
Since 2004, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided grant funding under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund to help partners in more than 40 countries protect marine turtles and their nesting habitats.

In 2017, the program provided funding for 53 projects in 38 different countries totaling $2.2 million, which was matched by approximately $3 million in additional leveraged funds. With the amendments included in S. 47, Puerto Rico and the rest of the territories will have access to such funding in the future.