WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, has joined his colleagues to lead the introduction of a bipartisan bill to preserve and manage America’s public lands. More specifically, the bipartisan American the Beautiful Act would reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) and increase its funding to ensure that America’s public lands can be enjoyed for generations to come. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-SD), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

Senator King first introduced the bipartisan Restore Our Parks Act in July 2018 which established the “National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund” to reduce the maintenance backlog by allocating existing revenues the government collects from on and offshore energy development. It was passed in the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, but now requires reauthorization.

“People travel from every corner of the world to connect with America’s incredible natural beauty and to make memories that last a lifetime,” said Senator King. “However, deferred repairs on aging infrastructure like roads and trails can become unsafe for visitors and diminish the quality of our public lands and National Parks. The bipartisan America the Beautiful Act protects our lands and the visitor experience — by addressing maintenance backlogs and reauthorizing the historic Legacy Restoration Fund. This legislation is an important step forward in establishing lasting protections for our public lands, and serves as a proud reminder that stewardship is not a partisan issue.”

“Our country is home to incredible national parks and public lands — that’s what makes us America the Beautiful. I’ll always fight to protect our parks and work to make sure we’re managing our public lands as efficiently as possible. The America the Beautiful Act is a significant step forward in addressing the long overdue maintenance backlog on our public lands and will help us keep Montana the last Best Place,” said Senator Daines.

“The passage of our Great American Outdoors Act was transformative for America’s national public lands and the many communities whose economies depend on them. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund and continue addressing the maintenance backlog at our national parks. Investing in our natural treasures is a no-brainer for our tourism economy and for future generations of Americans,” said Senator Warner.

“The Great American Outdoors Act brought real results to North Dakota’s outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Senator Cramer. “Visitors to Theodore Roosevelt National Park will be able to travel the South Loop road, which washed out several years ago, and recreationists can enjoy the updated trails and campsites in the nearby grasslands. Let’s keep this momentum going by passing the America the Beautiful Act, so we maintain our national treasures.”

In addition to reauthorizing and strengthening the LRF through 2033, the America the Beautiful Act will:

• Increase funding from $1.9 billion to $2 billion per year
• Prioritize projects that have a 15 percent match from stakeholders
• Require agencies to have a two-year running list of projects
• Allow the agencies to move forward with next year’s projects under a Continuing Resolution
• Ensure that all lands administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service are eligible
• Bolster the ability for public donations to the fund by requiring agencies to run public awareness campaigns and make known the ability to donate
• Require the agencies to assess and dispose of unneeded constructed assets
• Require additional reporting to Congress on actions taken by the agency to reduce their Deferred Maintenance backlogs.

The National Park Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Friends of Acadia, Boone and Crockett, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation are among many groups supporting the legislation. Click HERE for a full list of statements of support.

“Friends of Acadia commends U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Mark Warner (D-VA) for their leadership in introducing legislation to extend maintenance funding for our national parks/reauthorize the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund, which was created as part of the historic Great American Outdoors Act. Building on the successes of the LRF, and by raising the annual funding cap to $2 billion, extending funding through 2033, and improving project flexibility, this legislation ensures critical support for addressing deferred maintenance across our national parks. Furthermore, prioritizing projects with matching contributions will foster a greater role for public-private partnerships, elevating the work of park partners and other donors. At Acadia National Park in Maine, federal funds dedicated to tackling aging infrastructure have already facilitated essential upgrades, including an $8.6 million overhaul of potable water and wastewater systems on the Schoodic Peninsula and an ongoing $37.2 million effort to stand-up a new maintenance operations complex. This legislation represents a renewed investment in our beloved parks, one which will help preserve their natural beauty, improve visitor experiences, and reduce infrastructure backlogs for future generations,” said Eric Stiles, President & CEO, Friends of Acadia.

As a lifelong advocate for conservation and Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Senator King is among the Senate’s most prominent voices advocating for conservation. Senator King helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation that included the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). Because of his work, in 2020, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation (NPF) “Hero” Award. Since the creation of the LRF, Senator King has pushed park leaders to discuss funding maintenance efforts, maintaining a sufficient NPS workforce, and managing growing park visitation.

Senator King’s work on this legislation is the culmination of more than four decades of work on land conservation efforts in Maine, including helping to establish the Land for Maine’s Future program in 1987 and supporting extensive conservation projects during his time as Governor.

Read the text of the bill HERE.

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