Trone hails passage of Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. David Trone announced that four national parks and 16 state parks in Maryland’s Sixth District will receive federal funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives on July 22.
The bipartisan legislation passed the Senate last month and will now go to the president’s desk for signature.
The act will provide permanent, full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which benefits 16 state parks across the Sixth District. It also establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, which will provide federal land management agencies with critical resources to address the $22 billion deferred maintenance backlog on public lands.
“Ensuring our public parks are in good condition for generations to come is vitally important to our communities and natural heritage,” said Trone, D-Md. “This legislation provides the long-term funding necessary to create good-paying jobs, protect our natural landscapes and ensure that all people in our community benefit from the great outdoors in Maryland.”
National parks in the region that will benefit from this legislation, including money needed to complete deferred maintenance, are Monocacy National Battlefield, $4,180,036; Antietam National Battlefield, $12,254,869; Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, $76,350,501; and Historic Preservation Training Center, $625,472.
State parks in the district that may see benefit from the bill include A.M. Powell Hatchery, Dan’s Mountain State Park, Deep Creek Lake State Park, Fort Frederick State Park, Greenbrier State Park, Heaters Island Wildlife Management Area, Herrington Manor State Park, Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area, McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Monocacy Natural Resources Management Area, New Germany State Park, Seneca Creek State Park, Swallow Falls State Park, Warrior Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Western Maryland Rail Trail and Wolf Den/North Hills State Park.
The Great American Outdoors Act ensures that the $900 million permanently authorized by Congress in 2019 funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund at the levels that were promised.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most-successful conservation program, and these resources will make sure that it continues to:
— Support enhanced park and recreational access for local communities throughout the country;
— Addresses environmental injustice by creating green spaces near low-income communities and communities of color across the country by preserving natural heritage in an equitable manner;
— Strengthens the recreation economy, which is one of the fastest growing economic sectors and a key driver of jobs across the country; and
— Implements recommendations from the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’ Solving the Climate Crisis action plan to support the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of all U.S. lands and ocean areas by 2030 while helping fragile ecosystems, wildlife populations and communities become more resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis.
