The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on a bill to secure more funding for national parks and other public lands.
The Great American Outdoors Act would put up to $9.5 billion over five years toward national park maintenance. National Park Service sites in Arizona are behind nearly $600 million in maintenance. Billions more are needed at sites nationwide. The money the bill proposes to use would come from federal energy revenue, with no cost to taxpayers.
Marcia Argust with the Pew Charitable Trusts Restore America’s Parks Project said the proposed funding would be more reliable than what the agency typically gets.
“The problem is those appropriations are inconsistent from year-to-year, so it puts the Park Service in the position of having to triage repairs," Argust said.
The bill also would guarantee funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports national forests, state parks and other public spaces. Nearly $250 million has been invested in Tonto National Forest, Coconino National Forest and other Arizona sites through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund has existed since the 1960s, but Steve Blackledge with Environment America said Congress has diverted hundreds of millions per year away from it. The Great American Outdoors Act would prevent that, dedicating $900 million per year to the fund.
“To have a guaranteed, steady stream of money for conservation projects is really big,” Blackledge said.
Hundreds of conservation groups around the country are calling for the bill’s passage.
The bill has bipartisan support with both Arizona senators, Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema, among its cosponsors. The president is expected to sign it into law if passed.
