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Great American Outdoors Act

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Great American Outdoors Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to amend title 54, United States Code, to establish, fund, and provide for the use of amounts in a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to address the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Indian Education, and to provide permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and for other purposes.
Enacted bythe 116th United States Congress
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 116–152 (text) (PDF)
Legislative history

The Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 1957)[2] is a piece of legislation passed by the United States Congress, signed by President Donald J. Trump, and activated into Public Law (Public Law No. 116-152) in 2020.[3] It has two major components: fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million per year, and providing $9.5 billion over five years ($1.9 billion annually) to address a maintenance backlog at American national parks, including updating facilities to increase accessibility for the general public.[4][5][6] The Associated Press wrote that it would be "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century."[7]

However, after the legislation was passed, the Trump administration's Executive Order 3388 was deemed to have weakened the effects of the GAOA.[8] These rules and restrictions were reverted by the Biden administration on February 11, 2021.[9]

Background

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Before the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), the LWCF received funding in the form of yearly allocations from the government generated by oil and gas leases, however, the amount allocated was not consistent from year to year. Additionally, the funding they received was shared with other programs, like the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund.[10] The $900 million dedicated to the LWCF is shared between state and local governments, National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).[11] When the GAOA was enacted in 2020, the Department of the Interior Task Force, composed of members from the BLM, NPS, FWS, Bureau of Indian Affairs and other organizations established goals to ensure proper use of the funding.[12] These goals are focused on supporting the public and employees when visiting and working in these natural spaces, as well as discovering new ways these places can be used in the future, like creating new jobs and reducing the effects of climate change.[13]

The GAOA created the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (NPPLLRF) to address the maintenance backlogs in the National Parks. The NPPLLRF receives up to $1.3 billion per year from 2021 until 2025, which adds up to $6.5 billion.[14] In 2018, the NPS appraised the maintenance backlogs to be $11.9 billion, caused by wear and tear from a rapidly increasing amount of visitors to the parks every year.[15] The lack of resources and accessibility to the parks makes the maintenance required a demanding task.[15]

Legislative history

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President Trump signs the Great American Outdoors Act, August 4, 2020.

The bill was first introduced in the House of Representatives by John Lewis (D-GA) as the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 on March 28, 2019.[16] After inserting amendments, Senator Cory Gardner (R–CO) reintroduced the bill in the Senate on March 9, 2020, during the 116th United States Congress as the Great American Outdoors Act.[17] On June 9, it passed a procedural vote 80–17 and moved to full consideration before the Senate.[18]

The bill passed the Senate on June 17 by a vote of 73–25.[19] On July 22, the amended bill was passed by the House on a bipartisan vote of 310–107.[20] On the same day, Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, announced, "I’ve designated August 4th as Great American Outdoors Day and waived entrance fees to celebrate the passage of this historic conservation law."[21]

Even though Trump's administration signed and passed the GAOA, on November 9, 2020, Trump's Interior Secretary David Bernhardt implemented a rule which would give local authorities a veto over LWCF acquisitions, which critics said would significantly weaken the impact of the legislation.[8] The Trump administration also proposed significantly fewer projects than the legislation called for.[22] These rules and restrictions were reverted by the Biden administration on February 11, 2021.[9]

Support and opposition

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Considered bipartisan in nature for the 116th Congress,[4] the bill attracted 59 co-sponsors, both Democrats and Republicans.[17] President Trump expressed a willingness to sign the act after being shown an impressive picture of land within Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park protected by LWCF funds, despite previously opposing the LWCF.[4][23] The LWCF, first established in 1965, had been made permanent by the 2019 John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act but had not been permanently funded at that time.[24][a]

The measure was supported by conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation, and the League of Conservation Voters,[4][26] while some animal husbandry and mining groups opposed it.[27] The New York Times reported that some Democrats believed that Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, only allowed debate on the bill in order to support the 2020 re-election efforts of Gardner and Steve Daines (R–MT).[4][5]

Effects

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At the time of its implementation, the GAOA was meant to address the backlog of maintenance and allow parks to restore natural areas. As of April 2024, the funding has addressed $774.9M of deferred maintenance, completed 254 projects with another 377 in progress.[28] These projects span across all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and various U.S. territories.[29] The GAOA, through the LWCF, contributes to state and local assistance by funding programs such as the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery program and the Federal Land to Park Program.[30] Since 2021 these projects have provided over seventeen thousand jobs and contributed a yearly average of $1.8 billion dollars to local economies.[31]

A few examples of completed projects are the Intermountain Region Restoration,[32] Reviving Treasured Trails of Montana,[33] and Repaired Big Four Ice Cave Bridge.[34] 

Notes

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  1. ^ Prior to the indefinite re-authorization, the Land and Water Conservation Fund had been expired for a period of five months.[24] It had been funded through temporary measures before eventually being discontinued in September 2018.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "All Information (Except Text) for H.R.1957 - Great American Outdoors Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Amendments: H.R.1957 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)". Congress.gov. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Lewis, John (August 4, 2020). "Text - H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hulse, Carl (June 8, 2020). "Senate Moves Toward Preserving Public Lands, and Political Careers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Everett, Burgess. "Gardner brawls with Hickenlooper over threat to block recess". Politico. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Rogers, Paul (August 4, 2020). "Billions for national parks as historic bill becomes law - Amid election-year politics Trump signs rare bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 5, 2020. First, it will provide $9.5 billion over the next five years to repair roads, restrooms, trails and campgrounds at America's 419 national parks — from Yosemite to the Everglades — and at other public lands where facilities have fallen into disrepair after years of neglect and funding shortfalls. ... Second and more enduring, the bill would guarantee $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund in perpetuity.
  7. ^ Daly, Matthew (June 13, 2020). "In time of crises, lands bill gives Senate a chance to unite". AP News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Trump Swiftly Blows Up His One Decent Conservation Action". HuffPost. November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Brown, Matthew (February 11, 2021). "US agency cancels Trump policy on conservation purchases". AP News. The Associated Press. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Land and Water Conservation Fund | How revenue works". revenuedata.doi.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  11. ^ "Land and Water Conservation Fund | Bureau of Land Management". www.blm.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  12. ^ "DOI Law Enforcement Task Force | U.S. Department of the Interior". www.doi.gov. January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "Great American Outdoors Act | Bureau of Land Management". www.blm.gov. January 11, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  14. ^ "National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund - Infrastructure (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Deferred Maintenance and Repairs - Infrastructure (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Lewis, John (July 24, 2020). "H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Gardner, Cory (March 10, 2020). "Cosponsors - S.3422 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  18. ^ "Great American Outdoors Act Moves Toward Final Senate Passage | SGB Media Online". sgbonline.com. June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Daly, Matthew (June 17, 2020). "US Senate passes Great American Outdoors Act to boost conservation, parks". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  20. ^ Adragna, Anothony (July 22, 2020). "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  21. ^ "Secretary Bernhardt Designates Fee Free Day for Public Lands to Commemorate President Trump's Signing of the Great American Outdoors Act | U.S. Department of the Interior". www.doi.gov. August 4, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Weisbrod, Katelyn (December 16, 2020). "Congress Passed a Bipartisan Conservation Law. Then the Trump Administration Got in its Way". Inside Climate News. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  23. ^ "Great American Outdoors Act Could Help Improve Trails In Colorado". June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Pfister, Tom. "Land And Water Conservation Fund Activated By 'Dingell Act'". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  25. ^ "Monumental lands package shows Trump, Dems and GOP can get along". Tri-City Herald. March 13, 2019. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  26. ^ "Great American Outdoors Act Would Protect and Restore America's Public Lands". www.nature.org. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  27. ^ Henderson, Greg (June 9, 2020). "Livestock Groups Oppose Great American Outdoors Act". AgWeb. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020.
  28. ^ "Experience". experience.arcgis.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  29. ^ "Projects | U.S. Department of the Interior". www.doi.gov. July 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  30. ^ "What We Do - State and Local Assistance Programs Division (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  31. ^ "Seven Things to Love About the Great American Outdoors Act | U.S. Department of the Interior". www.doi.gov. December 4, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  32. ^ Tilton, Kari (August 3, 2023). "Intermountain Region Celebrates Third Year of Great American Outdoors Act". Forest Service.
  33. ^ "Reviving treasured trails of Montana". US Forest Service. June 26, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "Bridge to an icy wonderland reopened". US Forest Service. July 5, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
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