Today, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act
(GAOA) into law, which may be considered one of the most
significant land conservation laws passed in decades.
The legislation has two main impacts. First, the GAOA
establishes a National Park and Public Lands Legacy Restoration
Fund that will provide up to $9 billion over the next five years to
fix deferred maintenance at national parks, wildlife refuges,
forests, and other federal lands, with $6.5 billion earmarked
specifically to the 419 national parks.
Second, the GAOA permanently funds the Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF) by guaranteeing approximately $900 million
per year in perpetuity. The LWCF is a flagship conservation program
established in 1964 and paid for by royalty payments from offshore
oil and gas drilling in federal waters. The LWCF is especially
important because it helps fund the four main federal land programs
(National Parks, National Forests, Fish and Wildlife, and Bureau
