A conservation program popular with Democrats and Republicans alike would see its funding boosted to $495 million in the fiscal 2020 appropriations package now moving in House and Senate, according to a House aide.
That total would provide a $57 million increase above the fiscal 2019 enacted level for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is funded by federal receipts from offshore oil and gas drilling.
The agreement would provide $237 million for federal conservation and $258 million for state programs.
The LWCF is used to add tracts to national parks and wildlife refuges, as well as ball fields ...