"Bipartisan House legislation introduced today with a goal of whittling down the Interior Department's massive deferred-maintenance backlog will remain separate from efforts to reauthorize the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund.

House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said today the "Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act" will be a stand-alone bill with broad support from Republicans and Democrats in both chambers. Reauthorizing LWCF before the Sept. 30 deadline also has strong bipartisan and bicameral support, he said, but those two efforts are separate.

Asked whether he'd consider including language extending LWCF in the parks and public lands measure, Bishop said, "Well, you know me, I always consider anything that somebody asks that's rational."

Bishop spoke during an unusual bipartisan news conference that included Natural Resources' top Democrat, Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva."

Kellie Lunney reports for Greenwire July 25, 2018. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Dems Reverse Course On White House Parks Plan" (The Hill) [3]