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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.

Last night, a bipartisan group of senators introduced historic legislation combining two important bills: one supporting dedicated funding for deferred maintenance of the National Park Service and other federal agencies, and one supporting full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

We expect this bill to come to the Senate floor for a vote as early as this week, and we need you to contact your senators today and urge them to cosponsor and vote YES to pass this legislation.

After decades of underfunding, the National Park Service faces a deferred maintenance backlog estimated at nearly $12 billion, of which approximately 47 percent is attributed to historic assets. Without significant investments, iconic historic sites are at risk for permanent damage or loss. Similarly, the assets of other federal agencies addressed by the legislation require much-needed repairs.

With a name like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), you might not realize how important this program is for protecting historic places. LWCF has helped expand historic parks and other public lands since its inception in 1965—from Massachusetts’ Minute Man National Historical Park to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Despite its success, less than half of the funding set aside for LWCF has been appropriated for its intended purposes. This legislation would fix that shortfall going forward.

If enacted, the Great American Outdoors Act would be the single largest federal investment in preservation of historic and cultural resources for public lands in our generation, and it would provide the support necessary to ensure America’s historic places are saved for generations to come.

Contact your senators today and ask them to cosponsor and vote YES to pass this important legislation.

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.