Department Of Interior Secretary Establishes Task Force To Implement Great American Outdoors Act

This week, Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt established the Great American Outdoors Act Coordination and Implementation Task Force to apply the Department of the Interior’s portion of the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last week.

This law will help address the historically underfunded, multi-billion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at our national parks and public lands in addition to funding new public access projects across the country. $9.5 billion over the next five years will be dedicated to tackling deferred maintenance needs, and $900 million per year into perpetuity will be invested from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for new conservation and recreation opportunities.

“President Trump’s actions to pass this conservation law are historic,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “I’ve established a task force to maximize the impact of the Great American Outdoors Act and determine priority funding needs, so we can expeditiously serve the American public in rebuilding their national parks, American Indian schools and public lands.”

Secretary Bernhardt signed Secretary’s Order 3383 establishing the task force, which shall:

1. Develop a strategy to maximize the impact of the Great American Outdoors Act. The strategy shall ensure a timely project proposal and review process that minimizes delay and ensures decisive action; cuts across Bureaus; and includes establishment and utilization of a centralized project management office.
2. Identify an initial list of priority deferred maintenance projects that are ready to be implemented in Fiscal Year 2021 and provide the list to the Secretary of the Interior within 50 days of the date of this Order.
3. Evaluate staffing needs and direct relevant Bureaus/Offices to initiate necessary hiring and recruitment efforts.
4. Identify additional policies and/or revisions to existing policies or practices that are needed to maximize successful implementation of the Great American Outdoors Act.
5. Develop best management practices for deferred maintenance projects; and
6. Recommend such other actions as may be necessary to fulfill the goals of this Order.

Each of the Department of Interior’s bureau heads are responsible for designating a representative to serve as a liaison to the Task Force. The Task Force will work with other federal agencies and tribes to effectively implement the Act.

The RV Industry Association’s federal affairs team is already working with the Department of Interior to ensure campground modernization is a priority as the plans are made for implementing the Great American Outdoors Act.