Moran Proposes New Land Conservation Program

(Friday) January 15, 2010

By Carla Branch and Rebecca Newsham
alexandrianews.org

Congressman Jim Moran (Photo: Regan Kireilis)

The Capper-Cramtom Act of 1930 authorized $9 million for land acquisition in Maryland and Virginia and $16 million for land acquisition in Washington, DC. In 1958, Congress amended the Act to increase the authorization primarily for the George Washington Parkway extension and expand the scope of the Act to include Loudoun and Prince William counties. In June, 2009, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran (D-8) introduced the National Capital Region Land Conservation Act, which will further amend Capper-Cramton.

All of the members of the region’s congressional delegation joined Moran in sponsoring the bill. “Few cannot help but notice the green spaces that make up the central core of our nation’s capital.  Were it not for some visionaries at the turn of the 20th Century, however, our nation’s capital would be a different place today.  There would be no Mall, monument core, Rock Creek Parkway, Union Station, Lincoln Memorial or Tidal Basin,” Moran said.

Moran’s proposed legislation would authorize a grant program to preserve resources in the National Capital region, to be administered by the National Park Service. NPS would be authorized to make cost-share grants to Maryland, Virginia and DC, and local governments within those jurisdictions to acquire land for: parks; open spaces; green space corridors; agriculture; forests; fish and wildlife habitat; watershed protection; historic preservation; sensitive environmental area protection and public recreation. The cost would be $50 million per year for fiscal years 2010-2014.

“We need a program that helps lead the way in public investments to preserve the green infrastructure of parklands, fresh drinking water sources, steep slopes, stream valleys, forests, wetlands, wildlife corridors, scenic view sheds, historic sites and land buffering national monuments, battlefields that surround the national capital region and are endangered of being lost to development.  Safeguarding these green assets is critical to this region’s economy, quality of life, and environmental protection,” Moran said.

The bill is currently pending before the House Natural Resources Committee.

RSS Feed