Congressman Joe Neguse Welcomes Senate Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act

Washington D.C.—Today Congressman Joe Neguse applauded Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, decades in the making public lands legislation to permanently fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million and begin to address the over $20 billion public lands maintenance backlog. Last month, Congressman Neguse led a group of 118 Members of the House – including 7 Republicans – in sending a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting full and permanent funding for LWCF and parks maintenance funding in future COVID-19 stimulus legislation.

“Public lands are ingrained in our way of life in Colorado — they fuel our outdoor recreation economy, our tourism industry, and main street small businesses, and inspire us everyday,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. “Time and time again I have urged Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and for the President to support it. I am thrilled to see this collaborative effort to fully fund LWCF and address our public lands maintenance backlog pass out of the Senate today, and am immensely grateful for the county commissioners, conservation groups, anglers and outdoor recreation businesses who have contributed time and dedication to the effort.”

“This legislation is crucial, but we can’t stop here. We must take up the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act — which passed the House on a bipartisan basis last year — to provide permanent protection for 400,000 acres of Colorado’s public lands. We must continue to support and invest in the beautiful places Colorado is home to and the economy they fuel so they can be enjoyed for generations to come.”

In November 2019, Congressman Neguse led a letter signed by over 60 of his colleagues requesting increased funding for LWCF in the FY2020 appropriations process.