The House has approved a $9.5 billion measure that would fund land conservation efforts, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law, reports The Hill.
The Great American Outdoors Act would also deliver $900 million in oil and gas revenue each year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire land for parks and trails.
The bill would also dedicate $1.9 billion to maintenance projects that have been backlogged for five years.
“For too long we have allowed our national parks to fall into disrepair,” Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said. “At the same time, we have failed to meet the full promise of the Land and Water Conservation fund. ... Today we take the opportunity to remedy both of those failures.”
The measure got support from both parties but still met opposition from some Republicans who thought addressing needs that stem from the coronavirus pandemic was more important.
“‘Quick. There’s a global pandemic. Let’s spend billions of dollars repairing fences, putting up new signs, fixing toilets at our wildlife refuges, parks and forests,’ said no one ever,” Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., said Wednesday before the vote. “What this legislation does is it takes everything else and it puts it on the back burner.”
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, also worried that oil and gas revenues could slow down, putting funding for the bill in jeopardy.
“It would be ludicrous for House Democrats to move forward with this bill without amendment,” Bishop said in a statement.
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