Congress has passed a wide-ranging bill that would permanently reauthorize the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the country.
The House approved the bill Tuesday afternoon, 363-62, sending it to the White House for the president’s signature, according to the Associated Press.
The bill combines more than 100 separate bills that designate more than 350 miles of river as wild and scenic and create nearly 700,000 acres of new recreation and conservation areas. The bill also withdraws 370,000 acres in Montana and Washington state from mineral development.
The immediate reaction from the outdoor community was ebullient, to say the least.
“We know there is a lot going on across the country right now, but everyone should pause for a few moments and take in what is happening with our nation’s public lands. We are set to preserve nearly a million acres of land for protection and outdoor recreation, permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund and help our young people enjoy the outdoors more, among many other things—changing the trajectory of public land protection and advocacy for the next generation for the better,” said Patricia Rojas-Ungar, vice president of government affairs, Outdoor Industry Association. “We are thankful of the tireless hours many key senators and representatives, public lands advocates and American citizens put in to get this across the finish line. And, while it certainly is not solely responsible for all of the support and ‘yes’ votes, OIA’s work over the years to quantify the contribution of the outdoor recreation economy—$887 billion per year and over 7.6 million jobs—had a helping hand in bridging some of the partisan divide in Washington and getting this once-in-a-decade public lands package done.”
