Great American Outdoors Act Draws Widespread Support From Diverse Groups Across The Nation

Hundreds of groups representing state and regional tourism, local businesses, veterans groups, engineering and planning firms, conservation organizations, and the outdoor recreation industry are calling for Congress to pass the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). The bill would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and invest in critical repair needs in national parks and on other public lands.

As national parks across the country look to reopen, a surge in visitation is expected, similar to the spike seen in the early days of stay-at-home orders. Americans are eager to get outdoors. GAOA will ensure these public lands and waters will have the funding needed to handle the increased visitation. LWCF projects will help create additional nearby access points for biking, hiking, camping, boating, or fishing. Infrastructure improvements – like better roads, updated facilities and modern docks and campgrounds – will make experiences on federal lands more enjoyable and safer in a social-distancing era.

“Campgrounds on federal lands are currently showing distressing signs of wear: crumbling roads and bridges; deferred maintenance needs; and limited camping availability, jeopardizing not only the RV industry but the entire outdoor recreation industry,” said RV Industry Association President Craig Kirby. “This is a critical time because there is an intense desire by Americans to get back to these cherished national lands as we emerge from our COVID-19 stay at home orders. The Great American Outdoors Act offers innovative solutions and sustainable funding that will address the deferred maintenance backlog and ensure the safety and enjoyment of Americans today and for decades to come.”

In a letter sent this week to Congressional leaders, more than 850 signatories asked for the quick passage of the GAOA to support the public lands and achieve the twin goals of protecting America’s special places and repairing deteriorating infrastructure. Funds provided in the GAOA will secure vital resources while preserving water quantity and quality, sustaining working landscapes and rural economies, increasing access for recreation for all Americans no matter where they live, and fueling the juggernaut of our outdoor economy.

“Before this crisis hit, Congress was poised to pass the most important piece of legislation to support outdoor recreation access in a century – the Great American Outdoors Act,” said Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Executive Director, Jessica Wahl Turner. “As the nation shifts to longer-term economic investments and stimulus packages, we need Congress to act more than ever, to invest in our nation’s outdoor recreation infrastructure and get Americans outside and back to work. This bill would provide certainty for communities who are eager to invest in close-to-home park infrastructure, create opportunities for public access to the outdoors, and support the recreation economy. This will have a long-term economic impact on rural communities and will increase the outdoor experience tremendously once the worst of the pandemic is over.”

“The conservation of our lands and waters is not an optional amenity but the cornerstone of thriving economies,” said Tom Cors, director of government relations for lands at The Nature Conservancy and a spokesman for the LWCF Coalition. “Fully funding LWCF and addressing maintenance needs in national parks and on public lands will help protect important natural spaces, create jobs and expand outdoor recreation opportunities nationwide. The Great American Outdoors Act is the kind of effective, on-the-ground investment our economy will need as we work to recover from this crisis.”

“Investing in the restoration of park and public lands infrastructure—at a time when job creation is so important—can help sustain gateway communities and small businesses that are dependent on park tourism," said The Pew Charitable Trusts’ restore America’s parks campaign Project Director Marcia Argust. “The Great American Outdoors Act will address critical repairs within our aging national parks, which will not only add American jobs but will ensure visitor access to, and recreation opportunities in, our nation’s most treasured resources.”

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARKS AND PUBLIC LANDS MAINTENANCE BACKLOG

The National Park System is over 100 years old and its infrastructure—roads, trails, historic structures and artifacts, water and sewage systems, electrical systems, campgrounds, memorials, battlegrounds, seawalls—is aging and deteriorating. The agency can’t keep up with the pace of repairs and has a maintenance backlog estimated at nearly $12 billion, with three quarters of that amount attributed to priority needs.

Bipartisan Restore Our Parks efforts in Congress would direct non-taxpayer monies over a five-year period to tackle the most critical repairs within parks and other public lands agencies. Providing consistent annual funding to maintain parks and public lands is a smart investment, as they are proven economic engines for adjacent towns and regions. Park visitor spending contributes over $20 billion to local communities and generates over 326,000 jobs each year; addressing maintenance needs has the potential to create or support another 100,000 jobs. The RV industry has advocated for addressing the deferred maintenance backlog that will allow for safer and more enjoyable experiences on our public lands, including modernized federal campgrounds.

ABOUT THE RESTORE OUR PARKS EFFORT

The Restore Our Parks effort is supported by an informal coalition of national, state, and local organizations seeking to protect national park and public land resources by addressing the maintenance backlog. More than 3,000 national, state, and local organizations—elected officials, businesses, preservation advocates, contractors, engineer and design firms, conservation groups, tourism and marketing, the hotel and lodging industry, outdoor recreation interests—support dedicated resources for National Park Service deferred maintenance needs, and 82 percent of American voters support legislation to invest in park repairs. For more information, click here.

ABOUT THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important conservation program, responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas at the federal, state, and local level. For 50 years, it has provided critical funding for land and water conservation projects, recreational construction and activities, and the continued historic preservation of our nation’s iconic landmarks from coast-to-coast.  

LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars – it is funded using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities contribute more than $778 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 5.2 million jobs. LCWF recently provided the funding to upgrade a campground in Georgia.