This week, the US Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act. The legislation, which passed 73-25 with strong bipartisan support, ensures US parks and public lands receive the maintenance and protections needed for years to come. The bill provides full and permanent funding of $900 million each year for Land and Water Conservation Fund, the funds coming from offshore oil and gas revenues – not tax dollars. It would also invest $1.9 billion annually for the next five years in deferred maintenance for lands managed by the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education. One study estimated the legislation would support a total of 100,100 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years by addressing the long-delayed maintenance projects alone.
Hundreds of organizations have endorsed the Great American Outdoors Act, including the Audubon Naturalist Society, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Defenders of Wildlife, League of Conservation Voters, National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and The Nature Conservancy. According to Mark Kramer, a director of the California chapter the Nature Conservancy, one of the highlights of the Great American Outdoors Act is that secures reliable funding to help protect the nation’s ecological diversity, including its wildlife. “It just seems like the stars have aligned,” he said of the measure. “It’s a thoughtful, pragmatic bipartisan collaboration that’s leading to a good outcome. This is the kind of the thing we’re striving for all the time.”
The bill next heads to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass. President Trump has already stated he will sign the Act into law. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
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August 4, 2020 Update: Trump signs landmark Great American Outdoors Act by Julia Musto/Fox News
The bill had 59 cosponsors in the Senate, 42 Democrats, 15 Republicans and two independents. The Senate passed the legislation 73-25 in June, and the House passed it 310-107. The National Park Service accounts for 84 million acres of land at 400 different sites. But as of 2019, there was $11.9 billion in deferred maintenance and repairs needed. The bill will direct up to $6.65 billion to priority repairs and up to $3 billion for other agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, the bill will allocate $900 million each year to the conservation fund. The program – which has existed for half a century – has been plagued by funding shortfalls.
Marcia Argust, who directs the Pew Charitable Trusts' efforts to restore America’s parks, told Fox News the signing marks the largest U.S. investment in parks and public lands since World War II and that the act is "a real game-changer" for neglected or deteriorating historic sites. Argust and her team have been working on this issue for the last five years.
"You know, this is a trifecta, right? This is good for natural resources, this is good for visitors and safety, and this is good for the economy," she said. "This is the type of bipartisan legislation that Americans want to see moving through Congress and it can be done."