Federal acquisition of lands and water and interests therein must be for the purpose of land and habitat conservation and the encouragement of outdoor recreation, as established by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965. Land acquisition project requests funded from the LWCF should be requested through the agency that would manage the land being acquired. The four land management agencies are: within the Department of the Interior, (1) the Bureau of Land Management, (2) the Fish and Wildlife Service, (3) the National Park Service; and within the Department of Agriculture, (4) the Forest Service.

Third party organizations (i.e. The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, etc.) frequently participate in the federal acquisition process by coordinating the negotiation and purchase of tracts. If the project you are requesting involves a third-party organization, please be mindful that funding for a land acquisition project goes to the agency that will manage the land.

The Great American Outdoors Act of (Public Law 116-152) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) mandates that the president submit, along with the upcoming fiscal year’s budget request, proposed and supplemental project lists. The Committee will look favorably upon requests for projects that appear in either of these lists. When submitting your request, please indicate whether the project is on these lists.

The vast majority of requests made to the Interior Subcommittee are for STAG infrastructure grants. These grants fund local wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. This includes construction of and modifications to municipal sewage treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants. Similar to past practice, the Committee will be limiting STAG infrastructure grants only to projects that are publicly-owned or owned by a non-profit entity and that are otherwise eligible for the funding from that state’s Clean Water or Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) loan programs. Privately-owned projects are NOT eligible for infrastructure grants, even if they are otherwise eligible for assistance under a SRF program. The Committee will look favorably upon requests for projects that are listed on a state’s most recent Intended Use Plan.

There is a minimum 20 percent cost share requirement for any portion of a project funded through a STAG infrastructure grant. For example, a $1 million project could receive a maximum of $800,000 from the Federal government, with the remaining $200,000 the responsibility of the grantee. In almost all cases, other federal funds cannot be used to meet this 20 percent cost share. Ability to fund the 20 percent cost share is required before EPA can award a STAG grant. Please note that only the non-federal portion of assistance provided by a SRF can be applied towards a project’s matching requirement.

STAG projects have very specific eligibility requirements, and the Committee will not consider projects that do not meet those requirements.

The Forest Service is an agency within the Department of Agriculture. Requests that do not fit into the described categories below are unlikely to be eligible for funding under the Forest Service.

The State and Private Forestry account provides technical and financial assistance, usually through the network of State Foresters, to improve the management, protection, and utilization of the Nation’s forests. Community projects are usually limited and include various specific urban and community forestry projects and specific forest disease or pest treatment areas. Members may also request specific State fire assistance projects or specific forestry 11 assistance projects in this account. The Committee will look favorably upon requests for
projects that are listed on any federal or state ordinal list or are clearly demonstrated to meet the goals of a State Forest Action Plan(s).