Remembers in a photo of mirror lake in mt. Hood, part of the mt. Hood wilderness within the mt. Hood National Forest in my home state of oregon. And mt. Hood, madam president , is an oregon icon. Ahave a and William Wyden are twins, pictures vaibl pictures y iphone after this discussion. They ski this and theyve already recognized at a very young age that mt. Hood is an icon. And wilderness, there and across america, has been called the Gold Standard of conservation. Keeping areas under the strongest level of protection the law provides ensures that they remain wild for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. And by identifying what places deserve wilderness protection in an open, inclusive fashion, the country ensures full public debate, opportunities to bring people together, to build a consensus, sensitivity to rural traditions and local economic needs, with an end product being wilderness areas that all americans can be proud of. Creating wilderness, madam president and perhaps now madam president creating wilderness is not just important for preservationists, it is also crucial for conservationists, outdoor enthusiasts everywhere, and for all those who make a recreation economy hum the outfitters and the guides and the lodges and the mom and pop diners, and the fact is that that recreation economy supports hundreds of thousands of jobs hundreds of thousands of jobs in Rural America and generates billions of dollars of Economic Activity across our country. Thats also where the land and Water Conservation fund comes in because it helps to secure and maintain Public Access to the countrys public lands and wilderness areas for recreation and enjoyment. Now, also celebrating its 50th anniversary this month is the land and Water Conservation fund. This exceptionally Important Program is responsible for protecting areas in all 50 states and our territories. And this includes such special places, iconic places as the grand Canyon National park, many of our storied Civil War Battlefields and Numerous National wildness refuges. In hig my home state of oregon,e fund has placed the Columbia River gorge, carte Lake National park, the Pacific Crest trail, and the oregon dunes. Equally important, the land and Water Conservation fund feeds state critical funds that help create and maintain the local parks, the trails, and the recreational facilities. Now, every year the treasury collects billions of dollars of revenue from offshore oil drilling and other sources of energy production. Out of that total, the land and Water Conservation fund is authorized to receive up to 900 million a year. Its, in my view, a balanced approach, its a simple approach, its a constructive approach to managing public lands with some of the money the country makes from extracting resources, taking that money and turning it around and reinvesting it in the countrys unique open spaces. Now, there are tremendous economic benefits to the investment the fund makes. Nationwide, 98 of our counties contain land protected by the fund, and in these places, americas Outdoor Recreation economy generates 646 billion in Consumer Spending and supports more than six million jobs. Few states, mr. President few states enjoy the outdoors more than oregonians. Its almost as if, mr. President , the outdoors is a part of our gene pool. We see ourselves as outdoors people, and Outdoor Recreation accounts for nearly 13 billion in Consumer Spending in our state, and it supports 141,000 oregon jobs. As i mentioned before, in addition to its federal role, the land and Water Conservation fund helps the states. It provides matching grants so that state and local governments can use those funds to build new parks that are going to help struggling cities or towns develop. In the alternative, they can maintain natural spaces that are critical to the quality of life in those local communities. But the bottom line is, those investments, mr. President federal, state, and local investments they lead to job creation. We know that recreation opportunities drive tourism, especially in our counties where theres a significant amount of protected land. Those who are recreating, they go to the local restaurants, they go to the local shops, they stay in the hotels, often they look for outfitters and guides. Economists note that job growth in rural western counties where there is a significant amount of protected land is four times faster than in areas where you do not have that measure of federal protection. Now, these are just some of the many reasons why failing to give the land and Water Conservation fund the resources it needs, in my view, would be nothing short of legislative malpravmen malp. Unfortunately, despite the fact that 80 of americans approve of the programs mission, it has been underutilized, underfunded fnlt as a result, job growth and protection needed, needed protection for these treasures is left behind. So, mr. President , i plan to introduce two bills this week that would help to secure the future of the land and Water Conservation fund. The first bill would provide a oneyear extension of the land and Water Conservation fund and the second bill, mr. President , that i hope to be able to introduce here very shortly would make it permanent, because i believe that dedicated, Stable Funding will ensure our public lands continue to be preserved and accessible to support those recreationists of the future, the conservationists of the future, and the local economic leaders of the future that will prosper as a result of those investments. In closing, mr. President , i simply want to note that we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund as millions of families across the country return from summer vacations to the parks and wilderness areas that these great laws have helped to preserve and enrich. And children everywhere are sharing stories in their schools about how they went fishing and hiking and camping in their nations backyards. If realized to their greatest potential, the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund are surefire ways to help guarantee that the next generation of americans will continue to have access to beautiful recreation areas, captivating historic sites, and pristine wilderness, and strong, robust funding for the land and Water Conservation fund will help grow economies and create jobs in every state nationwide. Now, mr. President , finally, let me note that until recently i had the honor of chairing the energy and Natural Resources committee, and as chair, i had the opportunity to work particularly with two colleagues that are on the floor now, the distinguished senator from colorado, senator udall, the distinguished senator from new mexico, senator heinrich, and it makes me feel very good that they are here because, as westerners, they see day in and day out that what were talking about here with respect to the importance of this program and this extraordinary contribution its made to the country, these two Great Western leaders with respect to Natural Resources understand its not just about the past. Its not just about the wonderful halfcentury that ive taken the time to note. These are two leaders senator udall from colorado and senator heinrich from new mexico who i think are going to be part of the leadership, the leadership that works to protect these two great programs for years to come. So is im very grateful to have the opportunity to be on the floor with them. I had a chance particularly to see some of the treasures in colorado recently. I can see why senator udall feels so strongly about that. New mexico is one of the few states i have not been, so i hope ill be able to wangle an invitation to join senator heinrich. But i want to leave the floor knowing that, as we make this commitment to doing all we can to make the protection of our extraordinary outdoor spaces part of the legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren, the case for these two programs and advocating for them is in very good hands with senator udall and senator heinrich. And with that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Udall mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from colorado is recognized. Mr. Udall thank you, mr. President. Let me just start by thanking the senator from oregon. Hes been a true leader here in the senate for many years, and i know the senator from new mexico joins me in thanking you for your leadership and for your partnership. And i rise today, as senator wyden has, to celebrate the public lands in oregon he rose to celebrate the public lands in his state, and i rise to celebrate the public lands in colorado. And i want to make the point, right out of the gate, that our public lands support thousands of jobs across colorado, and they strengthen our special way of life. And this month marks the 50th anniversary of the land and Water Conservation fund and the wilderness act. Both of these incredibly successful laws have been instrumental in protecting our public lands for future generations, growing our Outdoor Recreation economy, and ensuring access to public lands in colorado and all across our country. In sum, what im saying, these landmark laws have touched every corner of colorado over the past 50 years. So im very pleased in that spirit to join senator wyden and senator sessions today in introducing a resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act. From the snowcapped peaks of the eagle wilderness to james peak, which i worked hard to establish, the wilderness act has protected more than 3. 6 million acres in colorado alone. These places have inspired generations of coloradans and remind us that we dont inherit the earth from our parents. We borrow it from our children. Mr. President , let me turn to the land and Water Conservation fund. In 1964, some 50 years ago, president Lyndon Johnson worked with the congress to establish lwcf the acronym for the land and Water Conservation fund. As we develop our oil and gas resources, we will also conserve other special places throughout our country for the next generations. As we mark 50 years of the program, we can tangibly see and feel and breathe its success. In the 3 million acres lwcf has helped us preserve is a part of 40,000 park and Recreation Development projects across all 50 states as well as over four million acres of public lands managed by the federal government. And in colorado, weve seen firsthand how lwcf dollars have helped protect access to the public lands to define us as a state. Mr. President , from my position as chairman of the National Parks subcommittee, ive seen how these funds have been particularly useful to our parks. After all, there is no better example than the creation of Great Sand Dunes National park in colorado. This magnificent place was protected by lwcf appropriations that were obtained with very strong local support. Great Sand Dunes National Park protects one of our nations great landmarks. Its also a critical source of tourist dollars for the surrounding Rural Communities. And this economic boost is something weve seen all across our state and our nation. Its noteworthy that for every dollar coming out of the lwcf fund, we see created four times that much in economic value. 1 equals 4 in economic value. And this investment through the lwcf program is part of the reason weve seen strong growth in americas Outdoor Recreation industry. When i say Outdoor Recreation industry, thats activities like hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, biking, you name it. And those activities have generated over 13 billion that support over 14,000 jobs 124,000 jobs in california alone. In another vein, mr. President , lwcf resources have helped states like ours become more resilient when it comes to national disasters. I was last weekend in lyons, colorado, one of the towns hardest hit by colorados historic 2013 floods. This picture is an exeasm of what we example of what we faced a year ago. Trout unlimited shared a story of how lwcf funds were used to help recover from a similar flood in the Big Thompson Canyon 30 years ago. Back in 1976, local officials had the foresight to make an lwcf purchase of 80 flooded properties and to replace the damaged homes with new parkland which then provided fishing access to the community in critical floodplain protection. Why do i bray bring that up now . That development in 1976 helped families who lost their homes then and avoided an estimated 16 million in property damages in 2013 that would have happened without those preservation efforts. The Big Thompson Canyon flooded in a similar fashion last year as it did in 1976, but because of the lwcf phones and the fact that lwcf moneys and the fact 80,000 properties were purchased, we saw the result. It was a way to rebuild smarter and better in 1976. And were going to do that Going Forward from 2013s flood. As a part of that, i was really excited and plead to hear the Town Alliance received lwcf funding to repair and rebuild the spectacular saint grain river corridor trail. Before that trail was destroyed last fall in the flood, it had been used as a regional connecter for anglers, mountain bikers and many others. And this project will now help restore a vital economic asset for that community, and it will ensure access to the river and the river corridor for many generations to come. Thats a success story, pure and simple. Mr. President , lwcf has helped in many other less obvious ways. As we fight to get our kids and ourselves to spend less time in front of the television, Outdoor Recreation is still the best way to stay physically fit and active and emotionally healthy. This past july i rafted the Browns Canyon wilderness study area of the arkansas river. As you can see here, what a spectacular place. What a unique place Browns Canyon is. I proposed to preserve it permanently as the browns Canyon National monument and wilderness. Along that rafght trip we had a group of veterans and several are suffering from post Traumatic Stress disorder or ptsd and told me how they use their Time Outdoors as a part of their healing. Again a success story. How do we keep lwcf strong . Even though lwcf has been successful by any measure while enjoying strong bipartisan support, the programs only been fully funded two times since its enacting law in 1964 promised 900 million in annual funding. Thats right, only two times out of the last 50 years. Lwcf is a victim of the uncertainty of the annual appropriations cycle which leaves a huge unmet need in colorado and across our country. And thats why ive been fighting, joined by many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for full permanent funding of the land and Water Conservation fund. And im very pleased to be working with senator wyden, senator heinrich and others on a fix that will fulfill the lwcf promise. This is a promise to our kids, our grandkids and all generations down the line. And we have an obligation to keep it. The good news is, mr. President , this potential fix would also reauthorize and fund two other programs that are critical to our Rural Communities. The payment in lieu of taxes program, which is also known as pilt, and secure rural schools. Let me talk briefly about both of those programs. For decades the pilt program has provided critical funding to nearly 1,900 Rural Counties to make up for diminished tax revenues stemming from federal landownership within those county boundaries. Pilt helps ensure Rural Communities have access to basic services such as Law Enforcement, education, and health services. Let me share an example. Ureek county in southwest iran iran Southwestern Colorado is still recovering. The county has already cut staff time significantly by reducing county operations to only four days a week. Without pilt, that would drop to just three days a week. Pilt also ensures that the county can hire a sheriff and students can get to school. Unfortunately permanent funding for this program expired and pilt now experiences the uncertainty of shortterm fixes, creating significant planning challenges for colorado and Rural Americans. I was proud to lead the effort last year to extend pilt funding through the farm bill which delivered 34. 5 million to colorado communities. But here in the congress, weve got to do more. Weve got