The U.S. House passed a bill on July 22 that earmarks billions of dollars for deferred maintenance on public lands and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
Montana’s lone Representative, Republican Greg Gianforte, voted in support of the Great American Outdoors Act, which he says will increase access to public lands. He praised the bill on the House floor before the vote.
“Unfortunately, too many of our parks have fallen into disrepair. This bill begins to build and repair our parks," Gianforte said.
The bill passed the House on a vote of 310 to 107.
The bill outlines up to $9.5 billion for federal land maintenance over its five year life and fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually.
LWCF uses offshore oil and gas lease royalties to pay for things like the protection of wildlife areas, the conservation of endangered species, and the construction of city parks. The Great American Outdoors Act in June passed out of the U.S. Senate, where it received support from Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines.
Daines says he expects the bill to be signed by Pres. Donald Trump.
