Senate introduces bill to fund public lands

We could all use some good news, no? Well, here’s something to smile about. Last Monday, the Senate introduced a public lands funding bill called the Great American Outdoors Act that would provide $900 million to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Act and give $1.9 billion to the Restore Our Parks Act to tackle deferred maintenance projects. The bill also includes $600 million to address maintenance projects in National Forests, BLM lands, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Education.

Here’s what each piece of the Great American Outdoors Act would do:

The Land and Water Conservation Fund

Since 1964, The Land and Water Conservation Fund has paid $900 million a year to protect national parks, areas around rivers and lakes, national forests, and national wildlife refuges; and to provide matching grants for state and local parks and