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Land b '111 LAND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A 30 years are now free to benefit ould rural parks and urban recreation centers. " Eleven of the state ' s 12 repre - sentatives voted for it, including N. C .apid Democratic Reps , Bob Etheridge of Lillington and David Price of Chapel Hill . Rep . Howard Coble , a The U.S. House passes a Greensboro Republican, was a co - measure that would send sponsor but did not vote ; he was in ' Geneva to address an internation- nearly $ 47 million a year al conference on the proposed to North Carolina to buy Patent Law Treaty. public land . The bill 's fate North Carolina would get -$46 .6 million a year from the bill for in the Senate is uncertain . a wide range of programs, with the money divided among state and BY JAmEs RosEN local governments . WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT More than three-quarters of the WASHINGMN — The struggle for money is designated for land pur- open space in the Triangle, beau- chases to build parks , protect wet= tiful beaches on the coast and lands ' and develop wildlife pre - pristine trails in the mountains serves , and for various initiatives got a big boost Thursday when to shield the beaches and other lawmakers approved a landmark coastal areas . federal conservation bill that David Carter, who has been direc- would provide North Carolina for of parks and recreation in Wake with tens of millions of dollars County for 20 years , said the coup- each year for parks , greenways ty' s booming population is taxing and other public lands . its 25 parks, spread over 2,000 acres . . The House voted 315402 to "We have 50 new people a day pass the Conservation and Rein- moving into Wake County every day vestment Act — legislation to of the year, " Carter said . " The spend $45 billion from oil and gas minute we open up a new facility, drilling fees over 15 years to pro- it' s inundated. This money is going tect open space, wildlife and his. to be a godsend for us when it tonic sites threatened by . devel- comes to acquiring unique natural opment across the country. areas across the county. " Supporters hailed the bill as the most significant congres - Threats from senators sional commitment to land con- Despite its wide margin of pas - servation in decades. During two sage in the House, the legislation days of fierce debate, they over- faces difficulties in the Senate . It came attacks from conservative, has strong support there , but a mainly Western lawmakers who handful of Western senators have accused the federal government vowed to block it. of a massive land grab . "We have been fighting for this for . " The passage of this bill is monumental to everyone in the years , said Phil McKnelly, direc- tor of the state Division of Parks and state , from the Outer Banks to "While While I am terribly Asheville , " said Rep . Richard Burr, aWinston - Salem Repub- excited, it still isn t a done deal. It lican. "Plinds tied up for the past still has to go through the Senate . " In recent weeks , state conserva- SEE LAND, PAGE I 9A tion officials in Raleigh and parks and recreation directors from ' throughout the state have lobbied North Carolina lawmakers to sup- port the bill, making trips to Wash- ington and sending hundreds of let- , ters and e-mail messages .