Huge victory for conservation
In what many supporters have described as the most significant conservation achievement to come out of Washington, D.C., in decades, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
The bipartisan legislation provides certainty to annual funding for a long-popular program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as substantial help tor badly-needed maintenance at federal properties, including the National Park Service.
The signing was cause for celebration by many in the conservation world, including organizations that have worked through multiple presidential administrations to see components of the GAOA enacted.
“The (GAOA) is the product of years of hard work by all segments of the outdoor community, from hunters and anglers to hikers and kayakers," said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. "Today is proof that conservation stands above partisanship and political rancor.”
The legislation, passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, combined two bills.
The first provided full and permanent funding of $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the amount it was authorized to receive from offshore oil and gas revenues but had rarely been appropriated over the last 50 years.
Public lands and waters in Wisconsin protected by the LWCF include the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Devil's Lake State Park, Ice Age Trail and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
The second bill, the Restore Our Parks Act, will invest $1.9 billion annually for the next five years in deferred maintenance for lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education.
At Tuesday's signing, Pres. Trump said he was persuaded to support the bill by two Republicans from Western states, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who are facing tough re-election battles. Support for the bill would not only help Daines and Gardner in their fall elections but could help improve Pres. Trump's conservation legacy, which has so far been decidedly pro-business and anti-environment.
“That was a meeting that took place, and within about a minute, I was convinced,” Pres. Trump said Tuesday. “And I wasn't at all convinced before I walked in.”
The Senate passed the GAOA in June by a 73-25 margin. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, voted in favor, and Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, was against.
In the House, the GAO was supported by 99% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans for a strong, bipartisan vote of 310 yeas and 107 nays (13 did not vote).
Among the Wisconsin Congressional delegation, Reps. Mike Gallager (Republican, 8th district), Ron Kind (Democrat, 3rd), Gwen Moore (Democrat, 4th) and Mark Pocan (Democrat, 2nd) voted for the bill.
Those voting against it were Reps. Glenn Grothman (Republican, 6th), Bryan Steil (Republican, 1st) and Tom Tiffany (Republican, 7th).
Jim Sensenbrenner, outgoing Republican from the 5th, did not vote.
The GAOA was hailed for its ability to protect nature while boosting the economy and preserving vital recreation and tourism opportunities.
"It's a crucial win for our public lands and the preservation of our natural legacy for current and future generations," said Elizabeth Koehler, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. "This is also an important boost for Wisconsin and the country's economy at a time when investment in sustainable jobs and industries is more crucial than ever. We are grateful to everyone who supported this historic bill.”
The LWCF includes funding for programs that protect working forests such as the Wild Rivers Legacy Forest, 59,000 acres in northeast Wisconsin protected for wildlife, public recreation, and sustainable timber harvests.
Grants through the program provide cost-share funding to support timber sector jobs and sustainable forestry operations while enhancing wildlife habitat, water quality and recreation. It has been a win for nature and for the economy and provides a good model to find even more ways to build a greener and sustainable future, Koehler said.
“We sincerely appreciate the work of both the House and Senate Democratic and Republican leadership for working across the aisle to pass this transformative piece of conservation legislation, as well as the president for signing it,” said Scott Petrie, chief executive officer of Delta Waterfowl. “Generations of sportsmen and women will remember this day as a critical moment in history.”