FREDERICA FREYBERG:
NOW TO NEWS RELATED TO OUR STATE’S NATURAL RESOURCES. AS SOME OF YOU MAY BE PACKING UP TONIGHT FOR A WEEKEND AWAY TO ONE OF WISCONSIN’S MANY PARKS OR FOREST AREAS, ACQUISITION OF SOME OF THOSE PARKLANDS HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FEDERAL DOLLARS FROM THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND. MORE THAN $210 MILLION SINCE THE FUND WAS AUTHORIZED IN 1965. THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR SALLY JEWELL ANNOUNCED THIS YEAR’S AWARD IN WISCONSIN. NEARLY $770,000. SECRETARY JEWELL JOINS US NOW BY PHONE FROM LA CROSSE. SECRETARY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR DOING SO.
SALLY JEWELL:
OH, THANKS. MY PLEASURE, FREDERICA.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
TELL US WHAT THE FUNDING RELEASED WILL GO TOWARD IN WISCONSIN?
SALLY JEWELL:
LET ME JUST CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT. THERE IS BOTH A STATESIDE PROGRAM, WHERE THE STATE OF WISCONSIN GETS TO CHOOSE WHERE THE MONEY GOES AND THAT IS MATCHED WITH LOCAL MONEY. SO HIGHLY LEVERAGED. AND THEN THERE’S A FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT GOES TO ADD TO THINGS LIKE THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL WILDLIFE AND FISH REFUGE, WHICH I’M JUST VISITING TODAY UP NEAR LA CROSSE. SO BOTH ACTUALLY ARE VERY IMPORTANT. AND IT’S BEEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE COURSE OF 50 YEARS THAT HAS GONE INTO THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS. OVER $211 MILLION ACTUALLY IN WISCONSIN. SO WE JUST ANNOUNCED AN ADDITIONAL ALMOST $800,000 IN JUST THE STATESIDE GRANT PROGRAM FOR WISCONSIN. SO THAT WILL GO TO THE STATE AND THEY WILL PRIORITIZE AMONG A VERY LONG LIST OF PROGRAMS THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES AND THE STATE HAS FOR LAND ACQUISITION OR IMPROVEMENTS TO FACILITIES IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. IT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM BALL FIELDS TO ACCESS FOR HUNTERS AND ANGLERS TO IMPORTANT ACQUISITIONS SAY ADJACENT TO STATE PARKS, CITY PARKS OR LOCAL PARKS. IT WILL BE UP TO THE STATE OF WISCONSIN TO DECIDE HOW THAT MONEY IS SPENT.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
NOW I KNOW THAT THIS LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND COLLECTS, CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG ON THIS, ABOUT $900 MILLION A YEAR. AND THAT MONEY IS GENERATED BY OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS ROYALTIES. WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF OTHER KINDS OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED OVER THE YEARS, ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
SALLY JEWELL:
WELL, THE LAND WATER CONSERVATION FUND DOES TAKE JUST A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS REVENUES. IT’S AUTHORIZED AT $900 MILLION A YEAR, BUT IT’S BEEN ACTUALLY APPROPRIATED AT FAR LESS THAN THAT. ABOUT HALF OVER THE COURSE OF TIME HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED. TOTAL OF ABOUT $18 BILLION OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS. THAT’S GONE TO PROJECTS LIKE THE APOSTLE ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE OR THE ICE AGE FLOODS TRAIL. IT’S GONE INTO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT NATIONAL PARK SITES LIKE ACADIA NATIONAL PARK IN MAINE, WHICH IS COBBLED TOGETHER FROM PRIVATE IN-HOLDINGS. IT’S GONE TO BUY CONSERVATION EASEMENTS FROM FARMERS AND RANCHERS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO SPORTSMEN AND HUNTERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. IT’S GONE TO OVER 40,000 DIFFERENT PROJECTS IN ALMOST EVERY SINGLE COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. SO TOO MANY FOR ME TO NAME OBVIOUSLY. I DON’T HAVE THEM ALL MEMORIZED BUT EVEN HERE IN LA CROSSE WHERE I AM TODAY, LOCAL PARKS HERE HAVE RECEIVED MONEY FROM THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND THAT THEYVE PUT INTO BALL FIELDS AND PUBLIC PARKS.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
SO AS YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, IT’S APPROPRIATED FOR THIS $900 MILLION, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT CONGRESS HAS ACTUALLY DIVERTED AS MUCH AS TWO-THIRDS OF IT TO GO TO THE GENERAL U.S. TREASURY. SO WHAT IS THE ADMINISTRATION’S POSITION ON DIVERSING MONEY FROM THAT FUND?
SALLY JEWELL:
WELL, IT’S AUTHORIZED TO $900 MILLION AND APPROPRIATED TO ABOUT A THIRD. THE ADMINISTRATION HAS HAD IN ITS BUDGET OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED PRESIDENT’S BUDGET FOR 2016, FULL MANDATORY FUNDING AT $900 MILLION. THERE IS AN ENORMOUSLY LONG LIST OF PROPERTIES THAT STATES AND CITIES AND COUNTIES WOULD LIKE TO ACQUIRE. THERE’S IN-HOLDINGS IN NATIONAL PARK AND WILDLIFE REFUGES AND OTHER PUBLIC LANDS THAT WILLING SELLERS WOULD LIKE TO SELL. MAYBE IT’S A FAMILY, YOU KNOW, TRANSITION AND THEY’D LIKE TO GET OUT OF THIS LAND-LOCKED PIECE OF LAND THAT’S SURROUNDED BY A PARK. BUT CONGRESS SAYS ONLY AUTHORIZES IT TYPICALLY AT A $306 MILLION IS WHERE THE HOUSE WAS IN THEIR RECOMMENDATION FOR 2016. THE PRESIDENT FULL FUNDING AT $900 MILLION, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF PLACES THAT ARE CRYING OUT FOR THIS MONEY. AND IT’S NOT MONEY FROM TAXPAYERS’ WALLETS. IT’S MONEY THAT’S COMING INTO THE FEDERAL TREASURY FROM OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION, OFFSHORE THAT BELONGS TO ALL AMERICANS.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
I UNDERSTAND THE FUND IS SET TO EXPIRE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. SO WHAT CONCERN IS THERE THAT CONGRESS WILL NOT RE-AUTHORIZE THE PROGRAM AT ALL?
SALLY JEWELL:
WELL, THERE IS TREMENDOUS CONCERN. AND YET THERE’S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO RE-AUTHORIZE THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND. IT WILL EXPIRE SEPTEMBER 30th, 2015. THAT WILL BE TEMPTING I THINK FOR SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO SAY I’D LIKE THAT $300 MILLION OR SO A YEAR TO GO THROUGH A PROJECT THAT I WOULD PREFER AS OPPOSED TO THIS. AND THAT WOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM. SO I THINK THAT YOU HEAR A LOT OF RHETORIC ABOUT WE HAVE ENOUGH PUBLIC LANDS THAT COMES FROM SOME OF THE STATES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION AND THE WEST, WHERE THEY HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR STATES THAT ARE PUBLIC LAND. BUT, YOU KNOW, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN PARTICULAR, YOU’VE GOT A CRYING NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PUBLIC LAND AND A DESIRE TO PROVIDE BREATHING SPACE AND NATIONAL SPACES FOR PEOPLE THAT MAKES IT REALLY IMPORTANT. SO WE’RE FINDING ALLIES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE IN BOTH CHAMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS WHO ARE HELPING SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. AND I REMAIN PRETTY OPTIMISTIC THAT WE WILL GET IT RE-AUTHORIZED.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
ALL RIGHT. WE LEAVE IT THERE. SECRETARY JEWELL, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
SALLY JEWELL:
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
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News Stories from PBS Wisconsin
02/03/25
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, Jane Graham Jennings, Chairman Tehassi Hill

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