Sierra Club Welcomes Senate Passage of Major Outdoors Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a 73-25 vote, the United States Senate overwhelmingly passed the Great American Outdoors Act on June 17. It now awaits consideration by the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, providing funding for conservation and public recreation projects across the country. It would also address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in national parks and other public lands.

In response, Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign Director Jackie Ostfeld released the following statement:

"The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has always held the promise of ensuring that our nation’s public lands and waters would be protected for future generations. For too long, that promise has been broken as the fund has been diverted for non-conservation purposes. Our national parks and public lands are places where all should be able to experience the healing benefits of time in nature, but for far too many, parks and public lands are unjustly inaccessible. 

"Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act will move us one step closer to fulfilling the LWCF’s promise and secure the future of our parks and public lands for the next generation. Full funding will dramatically expand investments in state and local park projects that have been woefully under-resourced and begin to address historical injustices that have prevented far too many communities from having nearby access to nature. At a time when 10 million people cannot safely walk to a park from their home, it’s time to invest in communities and make access to the outdoors for all. We encourage the House to pass this legislation quickly and double-down on efforts to ensure justice and equity in the outdoors.”

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