Ian Brickey (202) 675-6270, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Acting Secretary of the Interior Scott de la Vega rescinded a Trump-era secretarial order that effectively eliminated the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program. In one of its final acts under former President Donald Trump, the Department of the Interior quietly eliminated the ORLP program, which uses funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to support parks and greenspace projects in cities, urban areas, and historically underserved communities, directing resources where they were most needed. Ex-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s order redirected the $125 million Congress appropriated to the program for 2021 into a new competitive process that did not center equity in its decision-making process.
In response, Sierra Club Outdoors for All campaign director Jackie Ostfeld released the following statement:
“We are very pleased to see the Acting Secretary’s new order.
“The elimination of the ORLP program was a transparently cruel last-minute move from the most anti-environment administration in history. At a time when people need the outdoors more than ever, the Trump administration went out of its way to deny that opportunity to Black and brown communities.
“By reinstating the ORLP program, President Biden has made it clear that his administration takes equity in the outdoors seriously. Today’s decision is the first step in building a more just and equitable outdoors for all. We look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to achieve that goal.”
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.