Great American Outdoors Act Signed

After years from Montana’s delegation advocating to fund conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks as well as other public lands, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed by President Trump on Aug. 4. The bipartisan bill will spend nearly $3 billion in total, which will see about $900 million a year, currently double the current spending, on the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund while also providing another $1.9 billion per year to improve national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and rangelands. Supporters state the legislation will create jobs, in addition to restoring and repairing national parks, trails and forest systems while opponents state the money isn’t enough to cover the maintenance backlog.

This bill was the most recent bill to come across Congress, led by Republican Senator Steve Daines and Senator Cory Gardner, of Colorado, as Senator Jon Tester originally introduced the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act in 2009 and has many times called on colleagues to take up the legislation. In early March, President Trump announced his support for full funding of the program with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivering on his promise to bring the legislation up for a vote. Senators Daines and Gardner persuaded the President to support the bill earlier this year.

“For more than 50 years Congress has struggled to fund land and water conservation, leading to a never ending backlog of maintenance and other critical needs in our parks and public lands that I’ve been hearing about for years,” stated President Trump at the bill signing. “Today we are making the most significant investment in our parks since the administration of the legendary conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt.”

The bill passed the Senate and House with an overwhelming bipartisan margin prior to obtaining the President’s signature. Representative Greg Gianforte and Senators Tester and Daines all voted in favor while also stressing the importance of the bill on their respective floors.

“Today, we passed the most important conservation bill for Montana and the nation in decades – one that will increase public access to our public lands, support our national parks and importantly, protect our Montana outdoor way of life,” Senator Daines stated on June 17.

“Today we made history. This is a moment that Montanans have been working toward for decades, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the years of relentless hard work from the folks back home who know just how critical LWCF is to our state’s economy. Not only will this landmark bill provide more resources for our $7.1 billion outdoor recreation industry and the 71,000 jobs that support it, but will help create and maintain our unmatched public lands for our kids and grandkids, and the many generations that follow,” Senator Tester stated in a press release after the bill passed the Senate.

After the passage from the Senate, the House of Representatives had the opportunity to consider the bill, and Congressman Gianforte spoke on the House floor to encourage lawmakers to join him in voting for the measure.

Upon the 310-107 vote prior to the bill arriving on the President’s desk, Congressman Gianforte stated, “The Great American Outdoors Act, which I proudly supported, provides dedicated, lasting resources to increase public access to our public lands, conserving them for generations to come.”

After the bill was signed, Senator Daines, who is running for re-election against Governor Steve Bullock, spoke with reporters, stating his desire to get this bill passed and signed wasn’t because of politics, but instead because of his love for the outdoors. He also stated he was looking forward to seeing maintenance projects being completed at Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, while also stating the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be a big benefit to Montana.