March 22, 2018
Good news about LWCF, PILT, and wildfire funding, compiled by our friends at The Nature Conservancy!
Excerpt: “Washington’s forests just won a major victory long sought by conservationists, firefighting agencies and communities across our state: the passage of a comprehensive wildfire funding fix in Congress’s FY18 omnibus appropriations bill…
The bill funds several other programs that conserve Washington’s lands and waters and support rural counties, including:
- The Land and Water Conservation Fund receives $425 million—a $25 million increase—under the spending bill. This higher level of funding will allow the program to better protect natural areas and recreation sites in nearly every county in America.
- The Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program receives $530 million and the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is reauthorized. These programs both provide revenues to rural counties with federal lands, including funding for local school districts, fire districts and other essential services.”
Read more on The Nature Conservancy blog.