WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act.
“Our public lands and forests are an integral part of our way of life. By investing in our national forests, the Great American Outdoors Act will expand recreation opportunities and conserve forestland that helps fight the climate crisis.”
Through the full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Great American Outdoors Act will acquire new high-priority land to grow national forests. It also funds the Farm Bill’s Forest Legacy Program, which allows state and local governments to acquire private lands for parks and other recreational sites and establishes conservation easements on private forestlands. The bill also contributes nearly $10 billion to address the maintenance backlog on public lands in order to repair roads, improve trails, and rebuild critical infrastructure.
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