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| Office of the Secretary |
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CONTACT: Al Nash |
| For Immediate Release: May 1, 2003 | 202-208-4990 |
Secretary Norton Announces
$94 Million For State Recreation
Grants From Land and Water Conservation Fund
(WASHINGTON) - Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton today announced funding grants of more than $94 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for Fiscal Year 2003. The LWCF grants provide assistance to the 50 states, the territories and the District of Columbia for enhancing parks and other recreational opportunities.
The state grant program is a cornerstone of Secretary Norton's commitment to involve state governments in conservation planning activities. The states are responsible for analyzing their recreational needs and setting priorities for funding, supervising the selection of projects, and the work, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines.
"This Administration places a high premium on acknowledging and respecting the role of states in making local decisions," Norton said. "President Bush is keeping his commitment to help states and local communities make decisions that affect their daily lives."
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created by Congress in 1964 and is managed by the National Park Service. The program is intended to create and maintain a nationwide legacy of high quality recreation areas and facilities and to stimulate non-federal investments in the protection and maintenance of recreation resources across the United States. It provides matching grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. The LWCF is primarily funded by the collection of royalty receipts from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Since 1965, more than $3.4 billion have been made available to state and local governments to invest in and improve over 39,000 outdoor and recreational projects. States and local municipalities have matched this amount, thereby doubling the investment to a total of $6.8 billion. Of the total number of projects, approximately 10,000 have helped states and local communities to acquire more than 2.5 million acres of additional parkland.
Note to Editors: Attached is a
state-by-state breakdown of the FY 2003 LWCF grant allocations.
Land and Water Conservation Fund State Grant Allocations
Fiscal Year 2003
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Alabama $1,562,998 Alaska $835,530 Arizona $1,760,604 Arkansas $1,165,213 California $8,163,535 Colorado $1,590,503 Connecticut $1,490,890 Delaware $896,322 Florida $4,090,362 Georgia $2,216,475 Hawaii $975,429 Idaho $927,385 Illinois $3,286,244 Indiana $1,895,541 Iowa $1,197,148 Kansas $1,194,809 Kentucky $1,388,087 Louisiana $1,614,914 Maine $925,366 Maryland $1,886,043 Massachusetts $2,142,275 Michigan $2,769,402 Minnesota $1,656,407 Mississippi $1,148,937 Missouri $1,775,781 Montana $857,011 Nebraska $1,021,669 Nevada $1,119,661 |
New Hampshire $954,476
New Jersey $2,628,475 New Mexico $1,048,717 New York $4,823,954 North Carolina $2,183,878 North Dakota $840,210 Ohio $3,060,736 Oklahoma $1,344,663 Oregon $1,376,204 Pennsylvania $3,302,890 Rhode Island $966,770 South Carolina $1,477,640 South Dakota $847,286 Tennessee $1,781,544 Texas $4,931,742 Utah $1,165,250 Vermont $822,123 Virginia $2,127,888 Washington $1,928,926 West Virginia $1,020,340 Wisconsin $1,733,167 Wyoming $808,079 District of Col. $145,360 Puerto Rico $1,308,141 Virgin Islands $50,000 Guam $50,000 American Samoa $50,000 Northern Marianas $50,000 |
TOTAL $94,383,0000
-DOI-
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