WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the Great American Outdoors Act , landmark conservation legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The bill also provides five years of funding to address the maintenance backlog for the National Park Service (NPS), other federal public lands agencies, and Bureau of Indian Education schools.
The bipartisan legislation will fully fund LWCF, one of the nation’s bedrock conservation programs, at an annual amount of $900 million, as originally intended when the program was originally created over 50 years ago. Udall fought to secure permanent authorization for LWCF in February 2019, a major victory that removed uncertainty from the future of the program. Udall has worked throughout his career to secure full and permanent funding for the LWCF. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Department of Interior’s budget, Udall has successfully increased funding for LWCF year after year.
In New Mexico, LWCF has invested more than $312 million to protect public lands and open spaces and increase recreational opportunities in past decades. New Mexico's $9.9 billion outdoor industry - which is built around places that have benefited from LWCF - is a significant economic driver in the state, supporting 99,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in wages.
“LWCF is one of the most successful conservation tools that we have, and this bipartisan breakthrough is a momentous win for New Mexico and the nation that has been decades in the making. However we got to this point, I’m glad that we are going to get this done for the American people,” Udall said . “I have worked for full and permanent LWCF funding throughout my career in Congress, and as the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, I have been proud to secure major funding for this program. My father, Stewart Udall, helped enact this wildly successful program, and I’m glad we are one step closer to realizing his vision with this bill. Families in New Mexico and throughout the nation enjoy access to hiking, camping and fishing because of LWCF, which means that this conservation program is also the foundation for our thriving outdoor economy. This bill, by also addressing the maintenance backlog for our national parks and other land management agencies, ensures that we equip our public lands with the infrastructure we need so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy America’s outdoor treasures. I’m also pleased that the legislation makes critical investments in Indian Country by funding infrastructure improvements to Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools.”
As part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which was enacted into law in February 2019 (Public Law 116-9), Congress permanently authorized the LWCF. However, expenditures from the LWCF continue to be subject to federal appropriations. The Great American Outdoors Act would instead make $900 million available in mandatory funding every year, on a permanent basis. The LWCF is not funded with taxpayer dollars but rather with offshore oil and gas royalty revenues.
The bill will also provide $9.5 billion over five years for deferred maintenance projects at the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education schools.
The full breakdown of the $1.9 billion funding for deferred maintenance this year includes:
- 70 percent allocated for the National Park Service
- 15 percent for the U.S. Forest Service
- 5 percent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- 5 percent for the Bureau of Land Management, and
- 5 percent for Bureau of Indian Education schools.
The full text of the bill is available HERE .
