Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, the Great American Outdoors Act passed the House of Representatives, the final hurdle before landing on President Trumps desk, who has said he will sign it.
The Associated Press has called it “the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century.”
The bill provides $900 million per year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, grant money that lets individual states leverage their own funds to acquire and develop public outdoor recreation areas.
The bill also provides just under $2 billion per year, for the next 5 years, for back-logged maintenance projects on federal lands, including Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park.
Park spokesperson Penny Wagner tells us the funds will help ONP complete infrastructure projects, expand recreational opportunities, support local economies and help ensure parks are protected and preserved for future generations. She says specific projects will be announced in the future, but it’s expected to provide jobs creating, maintaining and fixing things trails, roads, buildings and water lines.
Besides the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, funding will also benefit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education.
According to the Outdoor Industry Association, Washington’s $26.2 billion outdoor recreation industry supports 201,000 jobs, generating $7.6 billion in wages and salaries and producing $2.3 billion annually in state and local tax revenue.