Blumenthal Applauds Senate Passage of Sweeping Environmental Conservation Bill with Vital Wins for Connecticut

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded Senate passage of The Great American Outdoors Act, bipartisan legislation to preserve and protect public lands which includes critical conservation funds for Connecticut. The bill will help create jobs and boost environmental preservation efforts by addressing maintenance backlogs on federal land and permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

“The Senate’s bipartisan passage of this legislation is a victory for the great outdoors of Connecticut and the nation,” said Blumenthal. “As our country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, this bill provides a much-needed boost for the recreational economy and secures full, permanent funding for the indispensable Land and Water Conservation Fund. This landmark bill will help support outdoor recreation jobs including those in working forests like Skiff Mountain, preserve precious habitats like the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, and protect our public lands for generations to come. I will fight to ensure that this bill swiftly passes the House and is promptly signed into law.”

Over the past fifty years, LWCF, which is funded by offshore drilling fees and not taxpayer dollars, has provided nearly $132 million in critical conservation funding for Connecticut’s environmental treasures. This includes the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, which protects a critically important migratory bird habitat along the Long Island Sound and extends along 60 miles of Connecticut’s coastline, providing research, education, and sustainable recreation. LWCF has also provided funding for the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the Weir Farm National Historic Site.

LWCF also provides funding for Forest Legacy Program (FLP) grants, cost-sharing funding which helps support timber sector jobs and sustainable forest operations in working forests like the Skiff Mountain in Kent and Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk. More than $12 million in federal funding through the program has been invested in Connecticut’s forests while furthering conservation goals.

The outdoor recreation sector is an important component of Connecticut’s economy, contributing $9 billion in consumer spending each year, supporting nearly 70,000 jobs generating $2.9 billion in wages and salaries, and adding $734 million in state and local tax revenues, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

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