To the Editor:

In light of Mr. Holliday’s letter to the editor on Jan. 3, I’d like to take this opportunity to respond to some of his claims. Regardless of the fact that the League of Conservation Voters spent more than $3 million in 2016 against me, more than nearly any other group, his claims about my record simply don’t align with reality.

The truth is that I have long supported not only the protection of North Carolina’s unique and beautiful environmental landmarks, but also the tourism economy that accompanies it.

For years, I have pushed to fully and permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program widely considered one of the most successful conservation programs in our nation’s history.

Using royalties from offshore oil and gas sales, the Land and Water Conservation Fund maintains hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands so that the American people, like Mr. Holliday, can enjoy them for generations to come. Some of North Carolina’s most beloved monuments including Chimney Rock, Catawba Falls and the Blue Ridge Parkway were made possible by this important conservation fund.

I also recently introduced a bill to reauthorize the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (reported on by the Smoky Mountain News), which while providing several million dollars to 25 counties in Western North Carolina, supported 30,000 jobs and stimulated nearly $2.4 billion in tourism and economic activity.

If this isn’t supporting conservation and North Carolina tourism, then I don’t know what is.

Sen. Richard Burr