Great American Outdoors Act Passes House

Above, Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A step was taken by the House of Representatives the other day to address the (estimated) $20 billion in backlogged maintenance projects at our national parks. They passed the Great American Outdoors Act.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune:

Washington • A bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands is on its way to the president’s desk after winning final legislative approval. 

Supporters say the measure, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. 

The House approved the bill 310-107 Wednesday, weeks after it won overwhelming approval in the Senate. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. 

The bill would spend about $900 million a year — double current spending — on the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund, and another $1.9 billion per year on improvements at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and rangelands.

Not everyone was happy with the bill's passage.

The bill’s opponents, mostly Republicans, complained that it would not eliminate an estimated $20 billion maintenance backlog on 640 million acres of federally owned lands. The bill authorizes $9.5 billion for maintenance over five years.

To read more, go here.