Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I rise to reflect on land conservation as the Senate is poised to make an historic commitment to our public lands and waters. S. 3422, the Great American Outdoors Act, contains two core components. The first establishes the National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on Federal lands. The second makes funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent. Taken together, these policies will conserve land for the enjoyment of the public for generations to come and ensure that we continue to protect our shared resources. The Restoration Fund must be used for priority deferred maintenance projects that are administered by the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Our National Parks desperately need help, a situation President Trump's disastrous 2018- 2019 shutdown exacerbated. There is an estimated $11 billion maintenance backlog within the National Park System alone. Visitor numbers have increased in recent years and are likely to continue to do so, particularly as the public seeks respite at available units from the constraints that the novel coronavirus--COVID-19--pandemic has placed on daily life.…”