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Great American Outdoors Act is now Law

Big, Big thumbs up on this one....and a Huge thanks to all that have worked to get this done for an awful long time! Sometimes things have surprised me from time to time throughout my life. This one happens to be a very nice surprise!
 
I don't often see eye to eye with Send Gardner but I am grateful for his efforts on this. If I could thank my elected senators and representatives in person it would be a heartfelt big handshake for this gift to my kids and their kids.
 
Thanks Randy like always for yours and others tireless efforts! Since you’ve been a bit under the weather of late I’ll tip mine and your beer for ya tonight!🍻
 
2nd best news I've heard this year. Coupled with the strong statements from Don Jr. and Nick Ayers this week against the Pebble Mine project, we may soon have a couple of conservation victories to look back upon. I'll tell my grand kids, "2020 wasn't all that bad".
 
Nice to see both parties, well for the most part...work together on this. This is a big win for conservation
 
Thank you and your crew for the hard work and dedication to wild public lands and wildlife.
 
Glad to see it pass. It is disappointing that neither Louisiana Senator and none of Louisiana’s Congressmen voted Yay for this. There was an article leading up to the Senate vote where politicians from LA wanted an amendment added that would use some of the money for coastal restoration. Mississippi and Alabama followed suit.

While coastal restoration funds are needed there are already huge pools of funds funneled for that. No to mention coastal restoration is primarily building new land for private landowners. Glad to see it pass “as is” and the money go to public lands.
 
I think @Big Fin is the only citizen of the United States to blow an elk bugle in the Capitol.


It took far more effort than it should have to do this, but by gum, it got done.

A lot of people will take credit for this win, and a lot of people deserve it. Like always, those who did the heaviest lifting will give their credit away and seek only the final passage as a result.

This is a good day for the outdoors. We've gone from Congress trying to eliminate public lands to finally full-filling their promise to us on one program, while finally moving forward on funding maintenance for parks. Now to get them to stop giving habitat the short shrift, and fund actual habitat restoration.

That was a cool day, this one was better. Still, what I wouldn't give for a night off from the pandemic to celebrate that House vote with everybody actually in town...
 
On June 18, I sent an email to my Sen. Mike Rounds asking him to explain his "no" vote on the GAOA. I received an automated response that he would be returning my email with an explaination, also on June 18. I waited until August 18 then sent another request for an answer. Finally on 9-29 I received this:

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September 29, 2020
Mr. Bryan K. Luke
PO Box 560
Marion, SD 57043-0560
Dear Bryan,

Thank you for contacting me about the Great American Outdoors Act, S. 3422. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.
As you know, on March 10, 2020, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced S. 3422, the Great American Outdoors Act. Later that month on March 28, companion legislation, H.R.1957, was introduced in the House of Representatives by the late congressman Representative John Lewis (D-GA). This legislation would establish a fund to address the maintenance backlog in our National Parks. It would also provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). On June 17, 2020, S. 3422 passed the Senate by a vote of 73 to 25, with amendments. On August 4, 2020, H.R. 1957 was signed into law by President Donald Trump.
After much consideration, I voted against this legislation. While this bill took steps that I agreed with, including appropriating funds to address deferred maintenance backlogs within the National Parks Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Education, it is not a good long-term solution.
H.R. 1957 only addresses parts of the current maintenance backlog and does not structurally address the maintenance funding concerns. Further, and my biggest concern, this bill permanently funds the LWCF. Permanently authorizing and appropriating the LWCF will harm Congress’s future ability to provide oversight and make necessary changes. We have a responsibility to make certain that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and that each program is achieving its principle goals. This funding is now permanently on autopilot like 70 percent of all federal appropriations.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this issue.
Sincerely,

Mike Rounds
United States Senator

*NOTE:
[email protected] is an unmonitored email account. To email Sen. Rounds, click here.








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We have a responsibility to make certain that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and that each program is achieving its principle goals
What is he smoking? Offshore royalities are the average joes tax dollars?

I suppose he is linking this to the fact that more tax payer dollars now need to cover other government programs since they can't dip into the LWCF but his response sure doesn't connect those dots for you. Typical politician...
 
On June 18, I sent an email to my Sen. Mike Rounds asking him to explain his "no" vote on the GAOA. I received an automated response that he would be returning my email with an explaination, also on June 18. I waited until August 18 then sent another request for an answer. Finally on 9-29 I received this:

DigitalHeader2.PNG
September 29, 2020
Mr. Bryan K. Luke
PO Box 560
Marion, SD 57043-0560
Dear Bryan,

Thank you for contacting me about the Great American Outdoors Act, S. 3422. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.
As you know, on March 10, 2020, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced S. 3422, the Great American Outdoors Act. Later that month on March 28, companion legislation, H.R.1957, was introduced in the House of Representatives by the late congressman Representative John Lewis (D-GA). This legislation would establish a fund to address the maintenance backlog in our National Parks. It would also provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). On June 17, 2020, S. 3422 passed the Senate by a vote of 73 to 25, with amendments. On August 4, 2020, H.R. 1957 was signed into law by President Donald Trump.
After much consideration, I voted against this legislation. While this bill took steps that I agreed with, including appropriating funds to address deferred maintenance backlogs within the National Parks Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Education, it is not a good long-term solution.
H.R. 1957 only addresses parts of the current maintenance backlog and does not structurally address the maintenance funding concerns. Further, and my biggest concern, this bill permanently funds the LWCF. Permanently authorizing and appropriating the LWCF will harm Congress’s future ability to provide oversight and make necessary changes. We have a responsibility to make certain that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and that each program is achieving its principle goals. This funding is now permanently on autopilot like 70 percent of all federal appropriations.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this issue.
Sincerely,

Mike Rounds
United States Senator

*NOTE:
[email protected] is an unmonitored email account. To email Sen. Rounds, click here.







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Not impressed, but also can't say I'm surprised at all....


"Permanently authorizing and appropriating the LWCF will harm Congress’s future ability to provide oversight and make necessary changes." Why do I get the feeling that this really means: We don't have an option to dip into this pot of money any more to solve other problems we made....
 
Every congressman who voted against this is using the exact same talking points in response. Most likely crafted by my dear friends (puke emoji) here in UT. They are essentially saying “since it doesn’t totally solve the problem, we shouldn’t do anything to make it better”. Complete and total BS. And none of them will admit to the real reason - which is if they improve the maintenance backlog, then they can’t continue to use that as their rationale for transfer. I responded to Mike Lee calling him out on it directly. I’d suggest others do the same lest these idiots believe that we are buying their BS responses.
 
Every congressman who voted against this is using the exact same talking points in response. Most likely crafted by my dear friends (puke emoji) here in UT. They are essentially saying “since it doesn’t totally solve the problem, we shouldn’t do anything to make it better”. Complete and total BS. And none of them will admit to the real reason - which is if they improve the maintenance backlog, then they can’t continue to use that as their rationale for transfer. I responded to Mike Lee calling him out on it directly. I’d suggest others do the same lest these idiots believe that we are buying their BS responses.

Yup.

Translation of those form letter BS-laden smokescreen responses is this.....

I am sorry you disagree with my position to subrogate my public land Senate votes to the Empire of Utah. When it comes to public land issues my tether to the Senate re-election campaign funds requires that we become a Colony to the Empire of Utah. I hope you understand and forgive me, but since I really like being in the Senate, I have no choice but to follow the marching orders of the Utah delegation who control the Republican Senate campaign funds.
P.S. Please don't translate this to other public land advocates in our state, as for right now my BS smoke screen seems to be working pretty well.
Sincerely,
Your Bought and Paid for Senator from the Colony of (insert western state here)
 
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