Three Years of the Great American Outdoors Act

​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.

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One example of success from GAOA is Yosemite National Park. Recently, Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma joined the Western Caucus and discussed GAOA with lawmakers, congressional staff, and National Park Service personnel. Since 2021, Yosemite has received $111 million GAOA dollars and is slated to receive another $180 million in 2024.
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In two years, the law will be up for reauthorization. There will be some issues to address in the allocation of funding and NPS’s growing maintenance backlog despite the huge influx of cash. As the only oil and natural gas trade association that supported GAOA vocally from the beginning and helped assure its passage, we stand ready to be a continued source of information on how the funds are being used and what improvements could be made. More information about GAOA and the financial contributions from the oil and natural gas industry are available in our report entitled “Conserving the Great American Outdoors.”

Author

Aaron Johnson, Vice President of Public and Legislative Affairs