President signs legislation supported by Jenniffer González to provide equal treatment for territories under federal conservation program

Washington,DC - Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón confirmed that the Natural Resources Management Act, legislation promoted by the Congresswoman to provide equal treatment to the U.S. territories under the Land and Water Conservation Fund and access to the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund was signed into law by President Trump.

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 Committee of Natural Resources of the House of Representatives approved its own legislation to reauthorize the LWCF.

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 now law 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.