GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT:
WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION by Brian Goldman
T
he recently-passed Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and takes a huge step forward to restoring national parks by helping address a backlog of maintenance needs. The GAOA combines two previous bills and received strong bipartisan support. The first provides full and permanent funding of $900 million each year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the amount it is authorized to receive from offshore oil and gas revenues—not tax dollars. It has been used for more than 50 years to protect places in every state in the nation ranging from national parks to historic battlefields. The second, the Restore Our Parks Act, invests $1.9 billion annually for the next five years in deferred maintenance for lands managed by the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education.
To learn more about the implications of the GAOA, we interviewed Priscilla Macy, Network Coordinator for the Oregon Outdoors Coalition, a coalition of outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups, recreation organizations, and individuals who are committed to the preservation of Oregon’s outdoor assets for future generations. Has it been fully determined which entities will receive funding and how much they will receive? Local governments must apply to their state to receive Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding. There are two types of Stateside Program grant awards: traditional (or formula grants), and competitive grants. Both programs provide states with the opportunity to subaward grants to state agencies, local units of government, and federally recognized Indian tribes. Traditional matching grants to states are made on an annual basis by the Secretary of the Interior according to a formula within the LWCF establishing legislation, as well as by need. By statute, states have no more than three years to obligate appropriated funds, which can be used for outdoor recreation planning, acquisition of lands and waters, developing new recreational and related facilities, or redeveloping existing facilities. A state must prepare a statewide outdoor recreation plan addressing specific needs and opportunities for recreation in
order to be eligible for LWCF grant funding. A plan must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service. States then award grant funding for projects to eligible entities through a competitive, open selection process. The National Park Service also administers competitive state grants through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. These grants support land acquisition and outdoor recreation projects, and are provided on an annual basis to communities of 50,000 or more people with priority given to economically disadvantaged communities that lack recreational opportunities. Additionally, the LWCF funds other conservation grants, including the American Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program, Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, and the Forest Legacy Program. In addition to permanently funding the LWCF, the Great American Outdoors Act notably creates a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on national parks and other public lands. Half of all federal revenue from oil, gas, coal, or renewable energy on federal lands will be deposited into the Restoration Fund, with funds not exceeding $1.9 billion per fiscal year, for a total of $9.5 billion over a five-year period. The National Park Service presently has a $12 billion backlog in deferred maintenance projects; 70 percent of the Restoration Fund will be devoted to these efforts. The remaining 30 percent
is to address deferred maintenance needs within the Bureau of Land Management (5 percent), Fish & Wildlife Service (5 percent), US Forest Service (15 percent), and the Bureau of Indian Education (5 percent). While the LWCF authorizes $900 million in annual appropriations, it has rarely been funded at the fully authorized level. In fiscal year 2020, Congress allocated $495 million from the Fund, and the President’s fiscal year 2021 budget request proposed only $131 million in appropriations. The enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act would provide each year the fully authorized level of $900 million for LWCF purposes. Ways state and local governments can use the funds: Local governments can use LWCF funds to buy land from willing sellers at market value. This can be land from private owners, businesses, or a land trust, for example:
• Any lands purchased with LWCF state and local assistance funding must be used for recreation purposes in perpetuity; these funds can be for purchasing and developing playgrounds, soccer fields, walking/ biking paths, multi-use athletic courts, and ballparks, among other uses. • In addition, LWCF funding can be used to construct structures and facilities such as restrooms, visitor
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