Congressman Panetta Votes for the Great American Outdoors Act

WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, July 22 Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) voted for the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark conservation bill that will help ensure public lands are protected and preserved.  The bipartisan legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 



“The bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act will encourage conservation, recreation, and access to the outdoors while addressing significant deferred maintenance in our National Parks and Forests.  By helping to reduce critical infrastructure backlogs, this bill will keep our communities safe and our public lands resilient.  Additionally, by providing full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has supported conservation activities on treasured public lands from the Los Padres National Forest to the Watsonville Wetlands, this bill will help ensure our communities can continue to access and assist in the conservation of our natural resources for future generations,” said Congressman Panetta.

The Great American Outdoors Act ensures that the $900 million permanently authorized by Congress last year funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at the levels that were promised.  The LWCF is America’s most successful conservation program and these resources will make sure that it continues to:

Support enhanced park and recreational access for local communities throughout the country;
Addresses environmental injustice by creating green spaces near low-income communities and communities of color across the country by preserving our natural heritage in an equitable manner;
Strengthens the recreation economy, which is one of the fastest growing economic sectors and a key driver of jobs across the country; and
Implements recommendations from the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’ Solving the Climate Crisis action plan to support the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of all U.S. lands and ocean areas by 2030 while helping fragile ecosystems, wildlife populations and communities become more resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis.


To preserve our National Parks, the Great American Outdoors Act establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, providing federal land management agencies with critical resources to address the $22 billion deferred maintenance backlog on our public lands.