In the wake of a global pandemic, the economic downturn that followed, and now a wave of social unrest unlike any seen in this country in decades — it’s clear that America could use a “win.”
Fortunately, a significant victory may be right around the corner to unify us and heal some wounds. One positive that has come out of our stay-at-home orders is that Americans have been clamoring for the chance to return to the outdoors. Pennsylvania’s own Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has seized the opportunity to act on that sentiment by introducing the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The GAOA has already passed the Senate by a bipartisan 73-25 vote, and President Trump has said he will sign it into law if it reaches his desk. There is significant support in the House for Jeff Van Drew Fitzpatrick’s bill, meaning we are very close to passing a once-in-a-lifetime piece of conservation legislation that will protect our national parks and federal lands for generations.
The GAOA has two main goals: It fully and permanently funds the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and it addresses the $20 billion maintenance backlog that has threatened the viability of our national parks and public lands for years.
For over 50 years, the LWCF has safeguarded America’s public parks, forests, and wildlife areas.
It has produced a venerable track record to become one of the defining pieces of legislation of the last century. However, the fund is continually at the mercy of partisan congressional appropriations.
There are 121 state parks in Pennsylvania. These are places enjoyed by all, and they are explicitly protected under LWCF.
Read more in The Bucks County Herald