WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In one of its final acts under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of the Interior quietly eliminated the Outdoor Legacy Recreation Partnership (ORLP) program on Tuesday. Funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), ORLP exclusively supported parks and greenspace projects in cities, urban areas, and historically underserved communities, directing resources where they were most needed. Secretary Bernhardt’s order redirects the $125 million Congress appropriated to the program for 2021 into a new competitive process that does not center equity in its decision-making process.
In response, Sierra Club Outdoors for All campaign director Jackie Ostfeld released the following statement:
“It is outrageous that the Trump administration and Secretary Bernhardt made this decision in its final hours in office, but shame isn’t something this administration is known for.
“Access to quality parks and greenspace is essential to building healthy youth, individuals, and communities, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear how difficult it is for many communities to visit those places, especially Black and brown and low-income communities. ORLP helped address that nature gap, especially for the 100 million Americans who don’t have a neighborhood park within walking distance. Trump and Bernhardt’s decision to end this program is a final indignity from a lame-duck administration against these communities who for so long have had that access to nature denied.
“This has been the most anti-environment administration in history. We hope President-elect Biden will swiftly reverse this ridiculous order and bring a renewed focus on equity in the outdoors to his Day One agenda.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.