Departments of Agriculture and Interior Invest $2.8 Billion to Protect Public Lands and Support Conservation Efforts in the United States

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2024 – The Ministries of Agriculture and Interior announced a proposed investment of $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 through the Great American outdoor law (GAOA) to protect and preserve our public lands and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded schools. The proposed projects will take place in all fifty US states, Washington DC and multiple US territories.

In August 2020, GAOA established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), authorizing up to $1.9 billion annually from fiscal year 2021 through 2025. GAOA LRF funding addresses the needs of deferred maintenance of critical facilities and infrastructure in our national parks and forests, national nature reserves, recreational areas and BIE-funded schools. GAOA also provides permanent, full funding Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) worth $900 million annually to secure public access and enhance recreational opportunities on public lands, protect watersheds and wildlife, and preserve ecosystem benefits for local communities.

GAOA investments work in conjunction with President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure and prepare for future needs. These investments are an important part of enabling equitable access to the outdoors and meeting the obligations set out in the America the Beautiful initiative, which supports locally led efforts to restore and conserve at least 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030.

“The Great American Outdoors Act has enabled the Forest Service to begin eliminating our $8.6 billion maintenance backlog, and we are motivated by the impact these funded projects have on urban and rural communities near our national forests and grasslands,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “These investments in Forest Service infrastructure – including housing for firefighters and employees, recreational facilities, roads and trails – demonstrate the agency’s commitment to caring for the land and serving people.”

“Addressing the long-deferred maintenance needs of the nation’s aging infrastructure will enable safe and equitable access to our outdoor spaces, create new jobs and preserve our natural heritage. I was a proud champion of this proposal while in Congress, and I have been honored to see the value it has created through its implementation,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “By working with state, local and tribal governments, we want to ensure that every child, family and community has access to nature and its benefits.”

National Parks and the Public Land Heritage Restoration Fund (LRF)

For fiscal year 2025, the Department of the Interior has proposed 83 GAOA LRF projects and the Department of Agriculture has proposed 89 bundled GAOA LRF projects in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories to provide recreational facilities, water and improve water supplies. utility infrastructure, BIE-funded schools, historic structures and other essential infrastructure. For the first time, the Department of the Interior will invest in all 50 states in a single funding year to ensure that the impact of GAOA LRF is felt across the country.

In total, these projects will support more than 20,000 jobs and contribute more than $2.5 billion to the economy. GAOA LRF’s economic contributions are far-reaching, as projects occur in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout the U.S. and its territories.

GAOA LRF continues to serve as a critical funding source to make major investments that would normally be out of reach with annual funding. GAOA’s LRF funding will end after fiscal year 2025 and would need to be reauthorized by Congress to continue ongoing efforts to address significant infrastructure needs on public lands and BIE-funded schools.

Interior GAOA project page and Agriculture GAOA Story Map demonstrate the difference these projects make for local communities by improving access and opportunities for outdoor recreation on public lands.

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

The fiscal year 2025 budget provides $900 million for LWCF projects and programs administered by the Departments of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service. This includes $437 million for federal programs and land acquisition projects, $455 million for state and local grants, and $8 million for a first-ever Tribal LWCF program.

The Department of the Interior will allocate $681.9 million to its mandatory funded LWCF programs, including $313 million for land acquisition. Land acquisition projects acquire critical lands or easements from willing sellers to protect at-risk natural, cultural, or historic resources, including critical habitat and migration corridors, and to increase access to outdoor recreation. The Department of the Interior will also invest more than $160 million to fund 48 projects in as many as 30 states across the country, in addition to smaller recreational access projects.

An additional $360.8 million for Interior’s LWCF grant programs will support locally driven state and local conservation and outdoor recreation efforts, including through National Park Service formula grants and Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program (ORLP) grants. The ORLP enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, revitalize existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in underserved communities.

In 2025, the Department of the Interior proposes $8 million to establish a new Tribal LWCF Land Acquisition program. The program will allow Tribes to participate directly in the LWCF for the first time to acquire land for natural and cultural resource conservation and access to recreation. The program will award funds for tribal land acquisition projects, consistent with the objectives of the LWCF and other program criteria.

In FY 2025, the USDA Forest Service is proposing $94.2 million to fund 13 Forest Legacy Program projects and $124 million to fund 16 Land Acquisition Program projects for recreation access and other needs.

These efforts advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the total benefits of federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to underserved communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

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