WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Great American Outdoors Act that will provide millions of dollars annually for trail maintenance and creation on federal lands.
The bill now goes to President Donald Trump, who tweeted after the Senate voted in favor 73-25 in June that he would sign it into law. The House vote was 310-107.
The Great American Outdoors Act provides $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and targets revenue from federal energy development into public lands' nearly $20 billion deferred maintenance project costs.
In addition to funding trail maintenance and creation, the bill puts $2.8 billion per year to use to help parks and public lands. It also would fully fund the Bureau of Land Management.
According to PeopleForBikes, the bill ends decades of funding debate and begins an era for trail maintenance, public lands stewardship, and outdoor enrichment.
"After years of engagement from our grassroots network and support from the bike industry, we're celebrating this commitment from Congress to serve our public lands and expand access to the great outdoors," said PeopleForBikes CEO Jenn Dice in a statement. "Our nation is experiencing an unprecedented boom in bike riding. There's no better way to support this growing community of people on bikes and outdoor recreationists than by signing the Great American Outdoors Act into law."
The International Mountain Bicycling Association and its partners fought to include the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in the bill because of those agencies' ties to mountain biking.
