LandNotes

U.S. Capitol Building, 1917 - Photo: Robert Runyon / Library of Congress

Periodically, the folks in TPL’s Federal Affairs department prepare a summary of conservation news from the nation’s capitol.  Full versions of these stories can be found on The Trust for Public Land’s website.

New Federal Fiscal Year Begins; FY 2012 Budget Still Unclear
With the new federal fiscal year having begun on October 1, it’s a good time to take a look at the status of congressional actions on the federal FY 2012 budget. After the flurry of negotiations and deal-making related to the debt ceiling extension and the deficit in late July, Congress left town for its six-week August recess and returned soon after Labor Day. The focus since then has been squarely on the economy, the President’s jobs package, and the work of the so-called “Supercommittee,” which was established as part of the debt ceiling agreement.

LWCF and Conservation Funding Needs Your Support
As reported in the FY 2012 update on land conservation programs, Congress is working on the FY2012 budget, including the Interior appropriations bill, and has begun deliberations on long-term budgeting decisions through the “super committee” process. Therefore, this is a critical moment to tell your Members of Congress to oppose cuts that would cripple funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and hurt jobs and local economies.

Interior Secretary Salazar Announces Approval of New Urban National Wildlife Refuge
On September 29, 2011, on a dairy farm just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico along the Rio Grande, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced formal establishment of a new urban National Wildlife Refuge. The new refuge–known as Middle Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge–will be established on the land known locally as Price’s Dairy.