A pair of leading Senate Democrats has reintroduced a bill to guarantee permanent full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is used to acquire new federal lands, conserve private lands and assist states in promoting recreation.

In addition to providing $900 million annually, the bill would also stipulate that 1.5 percent of the money must be used to enhance access to existing federal lands for hunting, fishing and other recreational uses.

"This bill is a common-sense approach to preserving our clean water, hunting, hiking and outdoor heritage without asking taxpayers to foot the bill," said Montana Sen. Max Baucus (D), who is an original co-sponsor along with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.).

The fund, which was established in 1965 but has rarely seen full funding, enjoys broad support in Montana and is seen as an investment in healthy landscapes, clean water and future generations of recreationists, said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a co-sponsor who added language requiring funds to improve public access for sportsmen.

"Hunters and anglers tell me every day that their top priority for Montana is ensuring public access to public land," Tester said in a statement. "It creates jobs and protects our proud outdoor traditions for future generations."

The fund has enjoyed a resurgence under the Obama administration after facing multiple years of declining appropriations. But while the administration asked for full funding in 2012, the proposal faces many skeptical lawmakers, mostly Republicans, who oppose enlarging the federal estate during times of fiscal constraints.

The bill would draw its funding from the billions of dollars in royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling, money that is currently deposited in the U.S. Treasury and used for a variety of things.

Bingaman's bill last Congress drew the support of North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr but did not pass the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), the ranking member on the House subcommittee that funds the Interior Department and Forest Service, said an early draft of his panel's fiscal 2012 legislation makes painful cuts to land and water conservation and revolving grants for clean water.

The subcommittee is being asked to cut roughly $2 billion from its bill to fund Interior, the Forest Service and U.S. EPA.

Reporter Jean Chemnick contributed.