WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement after the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, legislation to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and reduce the $19 billion dollar maintenance backlog on our public lands, was signed into law by the President. Rosen helped introduce the bill earlier this year.
“I couldn’t be prouder that this bipartisan legislation that I helped introduce is now law,” said Senator Rosen. “Our public lands and parks are a source of natural wonder and an important part of our heritage in Nevada. I am thrilled to come together with my colleagues from across the aisle to provide funding to address the maintenance backlogs in our national parks, forests, refuges, recreation areas and conservation areas. I will continue to be a fierce defender of Nevada public lands in Congress and support legislation that allows our natural treasures to be protected for generations to come.”
BACKGROUND: This legislation builds upon previously introduced legislation that Rosen co-sponsored: the Land Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act (S. 1081), which will permanently fund LWCF, and the Restore Our Parks Act (S. 500), which will provide mandatory funding for National Park Service (NPS) deferred maintenance. In addition to NPS maintenance, the Great American Outdoors Act includes funding for deferred maintenance projects at the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Indian Education schools.
There are 16 pending LWCF projects in Nevada, totaling $7,242,456. The Great American Outdoors Act would give NV $4.5 million of funding to address deferred maintenance on National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management lands
Since its founding in 1965, the LWCF has provided more than $100 million in funding to parks projects and land preservation in Nevada.
The Outdoor Business Association estimates outdoor recreation in Nevada generates over $1.1 billion annually in state and local revenue, and is responsible for nearly 90,000 direct jobs in Nevada.
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