"The Obama administration is pulling out the stops to renew and expand a little-known program that uses offshore drilling revenue for conservation.

The administration has pushed Congress to triple the amount of money available for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which officials use to acquire land, build recreation facilities and maintain parks.

The program is likely to be renewed before it expires next year, given the strong bipartisan support for conservation, but President Obama’s push for a funding increase is meeting resistance.

House Republicans say the additional funding would be wasteful and allow the federal government to unnecessarily snatch up more private and state land."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill September 25, 2014. [2]