Story highlights Congress is debating the future of the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Environmentalists fear pending land conservation projects are at risk if Congress doesn't reauthorize the law

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah is a critic of the law, saying it has become a tool for the federal government to simply buy more land

(CNN) Conservatives and conservationists are clashing over the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a 50-year-old program that is suddenly in the middle of a spending battle on Capitol Hill.

The fund uses royalties from offshore oil drilling to help purchase and develop outdoor recreation areas. It's led to the creation of tens of thousands of small projects like parks, beaches, trails, hunting and fishing areas, and baseball fields, in addition to funding bigger conservation projects in national parks and wildlife refuges.

It's one of dozens of policy issues that both sides are haggling over, and leaders are hoping to reach final deal next week.

Despite wide bipartisan support for the program throughout its history, Congress did not reauthorize it for the first time on September 30 due to protests from conservatives who say the fund has become an example of federal overreach.

Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, is the most vocal critic of the law, saying it has evolved into a land-grabbing tool for a federal government that already owns vast amounts of land.

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