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In August, President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), which invests up to $9.5 billion over five years to repair historic and other assets of the National Park Service and other federal agencies, as well as fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually. Implementation efforts began shortly thereafter with U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt issuing Secretarial Order 3383 establishing a task force to tackle the new initiative.

Earlier this month, the Trump Administration released the National Park Service list of deferred maintenance priorities for FY 2021 that identified 725 projects totaling $1.9 billion and complying with the November 2 deadline specified in the GAOA. Despite the timely release of the list, the lengthy document lacked specifics about how the money would be directed and to which priority projects located at National Park Service units listed in the document. A subsequent list outlines additional details on deferred maintenance projects for each of the federal agencies.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are eager to work with federal agencies to successfully implement the GAOA but have raised objections to the initial lack of specificity. In report language accompanying the FY 2021 Senate Appropriations Interior-Environment spending bill, the Appropriations Committee expressed disappointment and noted their right to modify the Administration’s proposed list of projects as per the GAOA language. The newly enacted legislation and release of the first year of repair projects begins a five-year effort that will preserve historic structures and other assets on public lands, while generating jobs in local communities.

The Administration shared LWCF allocations and project lists to Congress a week late on November 10 with the lists lacking detail and out of compliance with the law. Several days later, on November 13, Interior Secretary Bernhardt released Secretarial Order 3388 that would, among other things:

• Grant unprecedented veto rights to state and local jurisdictions over federal land projects; and
• Create arbitrary limitations on federal land acquisition in urban areas.

In response, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition strongly criticized Secretarial Order 3388. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have also admonished the Administration or failure to comply with the 90-day deadline to produce land acquisition lists for FY 2021 in their report language accompanying the FY 2021 appropriations bill. The legislation also includes the list of agency priority LWCF projects provided by the Administration earlier this year and advocates are now working to ensure detailed and complete project lists are included in the final FY 2021 appropriations bill.

Great news! The President just signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act—landmark legislation that will invest up to $9.5 billion to repair historic and other assets of the National Park Service and other federal agencies. The bill also fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually.

The once-in-a-generation investments from this bill will significantly benefit our nation’s historic and cultural resources by providing jobs, boosting economic activity, and preserving iconic historic places. It's an incredible win.

The National Trust has been deeply engaged on these issues for many years, working closely with congressional offices, partners, and advocates nationwide to develop resources, generate grassroots support, and help get this bill across the finish line. This summer, the Great American Outdoors Act passed the Senate (73-25) and House of Representatives (310-107) with strong bipartisan votes, and many congressional champions and supporters helped make this happen.

Please join us in thanking your elected officials for their role in this historic achievement. We’re eager to continue the important work of saving places, together.

P.S. No rest for the weary, even in celebration… we’ll soon turn our attention to the implementation of this historic legislation, and we look forward to working with key stakeholders in the months and years ahead. Interested in going in-depth into this and other preservation policy issues? Sign up for our monthly government relations newsletter to learn more.

By an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 310–107, the House has approved the Senate-passed Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422).

This landmark legislation will invest up to $9.5 billion to repair historic and other assets of the National Park Service and other federal agencies. It will also fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually. This sustained investment will ensure that our public lands can continue to expand and tell fuller American stories while also providing greater access to our shared cultural and natural heritage.

The once-in-a-generation investments from the Great American Outdoors Act will significantly benefit our nation’s historic and cultural resources by providing jobs, boosting economic activity, and preserving iconic historic places. The National Trust will continue to be involved in implementing these programs following the expected enactment of this legislation when it is signed into law by the president in the next few days.

Today, legislation that would address the deferred maintenance backlog of the NPS and other federal agencies achieved two major milestones: The House Natural Resources Committee markup this morning favorably approved the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R. 1225), and the legislation reached 290 supporters, which secures two-thirds of the House of Representatives and positions the bill for a favorable vote if it advances to the House floor. These achievements today follow last week’s positive hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources to examine deferred maintenance needs and potential solutions.

We continue to push for additional support in the House and Senate and make a strong case that Congress should pass the bill and send it to the President’s desk. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to join their colleagues in cosponsoring this bipartisan legislation. If they’re already a cosponsor, you can thank them for their support.

Every year, national parks draw hundreds of millions of visitors from around the globe to experience the stories of remarkable people and events in our nation's rich history. The communities adjacent to the parks, known as “gateway communities,” are directly impacted by park visitation.

“National parks, with their iconic natural, cultural, and historic landscapes, represent the heart and soul of America,” said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith in the Department of the Interior's press release. “They are also a vital part of our nation's economy, especially for park gateway communities, where millions of visitors each year find a place to sleep and eat, hire outfitters and guides, and make use of other local services that help drive a vibrant tourism and outdoor recreation industry.”

The National Park Service (NPS) recently released their annual National Park Visitor Spending Effects report, detailing the economic impact of park visitation in 2018. According to the report, “more than 318 million visitors spent $20.2 billion in communities within 60 miles of a park in the National Park System. Of the 329,000 jobs supported by visitor spending, more than 268,000 jobs exist in the park gateway communities.”

While increased visitation brings an economic boost to these gateway communities, it also causes enormous wear and tear on national park facilities—many of which are already in need of repair. The NPS needs a reliable, dedicated federal funding source to address the existing deferred maintenance backlog of nearly $12 billion and to help maintain the buildings and infrastructure that are crucial to visitor safety and satisfaction.

Bipartisan legislation that will address these needs—the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R. 1225) in the House and the Restore Our Parks Act (S. 500) in the Senate—was re-introduced in February 2019. While the legislation is supported by more than 225 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and more than 35 in the Senate, we need more help. Join us in asking your Representative and Senators to cosponsor and support dedicated funding for our national parks and share on social media using #FixOurParks.