FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT
Brad Forbes, Office of Mayor Marilyn Strickland, bforbes@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5166

Strickland Backs Passage of U.S. Conference of Mayors Resolution
Supporting Land and Water Conservation Fund and Urban Parks 

Tacoma, Wash. - Today, Mayor Marilyn Strickland joined 22 other U.S. mayors in supporting a resolution calling for the reauthorization and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), an important source of local government funding for the creation and protection of green spaces in urban and metropolitan areas. The resolution passed unanimously at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

“Our parks system provides valuable green spaces for our community,” said Strickland, who is a member of the Mayors for Parks coalition, a bipartisan project of the City Parks Alliance that seeks to increase the amount of federal funding for public parks, trails and green spaces in urban areas.  “It is important for cities to maintain places for residents to be active outdoors, which is why, in Tacoma, we are working to complete our trails system for everyone to enjoy.  The LWCF would be very helpful to us in our efforts to do this.”

Created in 1964 with strong bipartisan support, the LWCF has supported more than 42,000 projects in almost every county across the country. The fund is paid for by offshore oil and gas royalties, not taxpayer dollars. LWCF has only been funded at its full, $900 million authorized amount, once in its history and current funding is set to expire on Sept. 30 unless Congress takes action.

President Barack Obama has called on Congress to fully fund the legislation and, by signing the resolution today, the mayors joined the president and other supporters, including Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, in speaking out strongly in support of refunding the LCWF.

###