Federal legislation that seeks to protect the recreational and historical assets of Land Between the Lakes was approved Thursday by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, according to a press release from Sen. Mitch McConnell.
As co-sponsors, McConnell and fellow Kentucky Republican Congressman James Comer introduced the LBL Recreation and Heritage Act in April. It guarantees at least $8 million in federal funding annually for the 171,000-acre peninsula between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, which the U.S. Forest Service manages.
Other provisions include:
- Changes to the LBL Advisory Board to bolster local influence.
- Regulations that require user fees collected at LBL are used to improve the recreation area.
- Provisions that bolster law enforcement in LBL and surrounding counties.
The bill will next go to the full Senate for consideration.
When the legislation was introduced, it had the backing of a longtime advocate of LBL whose family was forced from the region in the mid-1960s when the federal government made land owners sell their property.
David Nickell, in a Hoptown Chronicle interview in April, said the legislation represented “the best chance we’ve had for LBL to finally become the premier recreation area that it should have always been.”
McConnell and Comer worked with Nickell and other advocates in the region to address concerns about LBL after the Forest Service began looking at a reduction in some services.
In the press release, Comer said, “Land Between the Lakes is one of Kentucky’s crown jewels — an extraordinary legacy to be taken care of and shared with generations to come. I was thrilled when the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Land Between the Lakes Recreation and Heritage Act and was pleased to see the Senate Natural Resources Committee also advance the bill. I will continue to work with local stakeholders, former residents, and Senator McConnell to advance this important legislation and preserve this treasured area.”
McConnell said, “Today’s Committee vote on the Land Between the Lakes Recreation and Heritage Act is a resounding victory for the LBL community stakeholders who have worked for decades to protect this important landmark.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
