Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Rep. Carbajal voted to pass H.R. 1957, the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, to provide permanent, full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and establish the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.

This strong, bipartisan legislation provides critical investments in our national parks, public lands, and conservation efforts today and into the future. The Great American Outdoors Act passed the Senate last month and will now go to the President’s desk for signature.

“On the Central Coast, our public lands, recreational areas, and natural heritage are vital to our community,” said Rep. Carbajal. “The Great American Outdoors Act is a historic achievement that delivers the long-promised funding needed to preserve our national parks, protect our water supply, and ensure that our community can reap the benefits of public lands for generations to come.”

The Great American Outdoors Act ensures that the $900 million permanently authorized by Congress last year funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund 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. Two of Congressman Carbajal’s bills were included in the Climate Crisis action plan: H.R. 2470, the Clean Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act and H.R. 2199, the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act.

Great American Outdoors Act also 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. 

Rep. Salud Carbajal represents California’s 24th Congressional District that includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and part of Ventura counties.

More information on Congressman Carbajal’s work to protect our environment is available here.