​The three-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) is a good time to reflect on all the conservation and infrastructure benefits that have come from the $8.4 billion in funding and consider improvements that can be made to the law. We’re proud that 96% of GAOA’s funding comes from onshore and offshore oil and natural gas royalties. The hundreds of projects funded so far show the balance that can be achieved in managing our nation’s public lands.

There’s a good reason people feel they can’t get a straight answer out of Washington on climate and environmental issues. Recent conflicting news stories about natural gas are good examples as to why. While Biden officials and some lawmakers are attempting to scare consumers into believing they’re damaging the environment by using natural gas when cooking dinner or taking a hot shower, their rhetoric is undercut by their effusive praise at other times for natural gas’s climate benefits.

​In an easily overlooked announcement made far away from Washington, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Park Service (NPS) touted the addition of a fleet of natural gas and electric buses to transport tourists around Grand Canyon National Park. The fleet consists of 20 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and 10 battery electric buses. The focus of the announcement was on the climate benefits of the new buses.