On June 1, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the distribution of $279 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state matching grants for FY 2022. LWCF state grants have supported 45,000 projects in every county across the United States since 1965. The LWCF program is financed through royalties on offshore oil and gas drilling within federal waters. State matching grant funding levels are determined by a population-based formula established under the LWCF Act, with state governments distributing funds to counties and other local governments through competitive grant applications.

In 2019, Congress permanently reauthorized the LWCF and guaranteed that 40 percent of LWCF funding would be earmarked for state grants, with an additional 40 percent also guaranteed for federal land agency needs, including land acquisitions. Additionally, in 2020, Congress made LWCF funding permanent and mandatory under the Great American Outdoors Act, legislation which also created the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog on federal lands.

Counties support the LWCF program with a focus on supporting areas in greatest need of open space protection and strong funding allocations for state matching grants to counties and other local governments. Any use of LWCF funds for new federal land acquisitions should be coordinated with the impacted county government to ensure consistency with local natural resource plans.