WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act that will provide millions of dollars annually for trail maintenance and creation on federal lands.
The legislation also establishes the National Park and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The House of Representatives passed the bill on July 22, which sent it to the president for his signature. The Senate approved the bill in June.
The Great American Outdoors Act provides $900 million annually to the 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 fully funds 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.
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.
