I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4467
To amend the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act to provide a secure
source of funds for Federal land acquisition and to revitalize the State,
local and urban needs outlined in the Land and Water Conservation
Fund Act of 1965 and the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act
of 1978 by providing matching grants for State, local, and urban con-
servation and recreation needs.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 6, 1998
Mr. GEPHARDT (for himself, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr.
MCGOVERN, and Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To amend the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act to
provide a secure source of funds for Federal land acquisi-
tion and to revitalize the State, local and urban needs
outlined in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act
of 1965 and the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery
Act of 1978 by providing matching grants for State,
local, and urban conservation and recreation needs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Open Space Protection
Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) Congress has established a policy of dedicat-
ing revenue from the production and use of non-
renewable resources to reinvest in public land re-
sources for American families and their children
through programs such as the Land and Water Con-
servation Fund.
(2) Since its creation by Congress in 1965, the
Land and Water Conservation Fund has been re-
sponsible for nearly 7,000,000 acres of parkland,
refuges and open spaces, and the development of
more than 37,000 State and local parks and recre-
ation projects. From parks to playgrounds, wilder-
ness to wetlands, open trails to open spaces, the
Land and Water Conservation Fund has been an
American success story.
(3) The need for open spaces and recreation
has soared. Combined estimates from the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park
Service, United States Forest Service, and Bureau
of Land Management total a $7,000,000,000 back-
log to meet current land acquisition needs. This
backlog includes lands critical to conserving wet-
lands, watersheds and wilderness, protecting wildlife
refuges and habitat, preserving important historic
and cultural sites and providing trails and open
spaces for outdoor recreation.
(4) Conserving our Nation’s most valuable nat-
ural and cultural treasures is critical to conserving
America’s heritage of open space and the great out-
doors.
(5) Suburban and urban sprawl and the loss of
open space have become a primary concern for local
communities with State and local revenues inad-
equate to address these critical needs.
(6) The demand for outdoor recreation, and the
corresponding need for more parks, open space and
recreation infrastructure, has skyrocketed. The Na-
tional Survey on Recreation and the Environment
(NSRE), conducted by the United States Forest
Service, shows explosive growth in most outdoor pur-
suits, including mountain biking, backpacking,
kayaking, and birdwatching.
(7) The enormous popularity of youth soccer
over the past decade has created an unprecedented
demand for new playing fields which to date has
been unmet.