Manchin: Great American Outdoors Act Has Brought $23.5 Million to West Virginia...

Charleston, WV – Today, on the third anniversary of the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that the bipartisan legislation has brought $23.5 million to support and expand the outdoor recreation economy in West Virginia and address deferred maintenance projects in National Parks, Forests, and on Public Lands.

Signed into law on August 4, 2020, the GAOA provides full and mandatory annual funding of $900 million nationwide for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to protect and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities on federal, state, and local lands. The GAOA also provides $9.5 billion in dedicated funding over 5 years to help address the approximately $20 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects on our nation’s Public Lands.

“West Virginia isn’t called Wild and Wonderful for nothing. The mountains we call home have provided an outdoor playground for generations of West Virginians, and more and more Americans from across the nation are taking the opportunity to visit the state we call home to experience all of the outdoor recreation opportunities we have to offer. There is nothing quite like rafting down the New River, hiking through the Monongahela National Forest, mountain biking one of the more than 100 biking trails in our great state, or — one of my favorite activities — fishing in our beautiful rivers. West Virginia’s National Parks and Public Lands bring so many economic and recreational opportunities to our state and I am proud to celebrate them today and every day,” said Chairman Manchin.

Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF has provided $5 billion to support 45,000 projects in almost every county in the country. At no cost to taxpayers, the LWCF supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters — including National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges and recreation areas — and provides matching competitive grants to state governments for the acquisition and development of public parks and other outdoor recreation sites. This investment also helps support locally led outdoor recreation and conservation projects to protect and enhance our nation’s Public Lands and Waters.

Funds allocated to West Virginia from the Great American Outdoors Act by Fiscal Year:

Fiscal Year 2021:

Total for FY21: $12.7 million

Fiscal Year 2022:

Total for FY22: $8.3 million

Fiscal Year 2023:

Total for FY23: $2.5 million

Total: $23.5 million allocated to West Virginia since the enactment of the GAOA

A timeline of Chairman Manchin’s work on the Great American Outdoors Act is below.