Trust for Public Land Statement on the Great American Outdoors Act 250 Heard Before Congress
Washington, DC — Trust for Public Land issued the following statement from Kate Kelly, Vice President of Government Relations and Policy at Trust for Public Land, regarding today’s U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources legislative field hearing on the discussion draft of the Great American Outdoors Act 250:
“Trust for Public Land applauds Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Jared Huffman for working together to advance a bipartisan vision that makes much-needed investments in our parks, public lands, and Bureau of Indian Education schools. This bill will build upon the legacy of the Great American Outdoors Act by reauthorizing the successful Legacy Restoration Fund, while also ensuring Congress’s long-standing commitment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund endures. As our recent polling shows, Americans agree that sustained investments are essential to ensuring that public lands can meet growing demands and serve future generations.”
As Congress considers reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund LRF via the Great American Outdoors Act, new data from Trust for Public Land shows that Americans overwhelmingly support federal action to address long-standing maintenance needs across the nation’s public lands. The survey of 4,000 U.S. adults highlights widespread agreement that aging infrastructure in national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges must be repaired and modernized to ensure safe access and long-term sustainability, with 74% support for providing robust federal funding to address overdue maintenance and repair needs across public lands, and with just 6% opposing such investments.
The Legacy Restoration Fund builds on a long tradition of bipartisan conservation programs that invest in America’s public lands. Alongside the Land and Water Conservation Fund which was permanently authorized and funded through the Dingell Act in 2019 and Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, these efforts represent a shared national commitment to stewarding and maintaining the parks and landscapes that Americans cherish.
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About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, in Florida alone, TPL has protected more than 185,000 acres of public land and created more than 470 parks, trails, and iconic outdoor places. Nationally, TPL has raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
