Bipartisan Michigan delegation backs $2B ‘America The Beautiful Act’ to protect public lands
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LANSING, Mich. (News 10) – A group of bipartisan Michigan lawmakers is pushing for legislation they say would protect Michigan’s public lands in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Eight U.S. Representatives are calling on Congress to pass the “America The Beautiful Act,” what they call a “crucial piece of legislation that maintains our public lands and national heritage for generations to come.
The America The Beautiful Act (S. 1547, H.R. 9250) would extend the Legacy Restoration Fund and “ensure that America’s national parks, forests, public lands, and wildlife refuges remain safe and accessible for the hundreds of millions of annual visitors.”
The Michigan lawmakers supporting the bill include:
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6)
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI-5)
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI-1)
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI-4)
Rep. John R. Moolenaar (R-MI-2)
Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8)
Rep. Hillary J. Scholten (D-MI-3)
Rep. John James (R-MI-10)
Established under the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, the Legacy Restoration Fund was a generational, non-taxpayer funded investment that facilitated the repair of hundreds of trails and roads, campgrounds, marinas, visitor centers, and water systems across all 50 states, according to the coalition of lawmakers.
Since the Fund expired last year, advocates are urging Congress to pass the America the Beautiful Act as quickly as possible. The legislators say extending this investment would be an appropriate gift to the American people during the nation’s 250th birthday.
Officials say the legislation would “deliver nearly $2 billion annually to address high-priority infrastructure and maintenance needs nationwide.”
“Enacting this legislation will provide an opportunity to fund priority repair projects within parks and public lands in Michigan, boosting travel and tourism, safeguarding historic sites and ecological resources, and benefiting local communities that rely on visitor spending,” a press release said.
Examples of projects in Michigan that previously received funding include:
Rehabilitating facilities on the Manitou Islands at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: The Manitou Islands are a popular destination within Sleeping Bear Dunes, offering hiking, camping, and other recreation, but the marina docking system, utility systems, and historic structures on South and North Manitou Islands have deteriorated to the point of compromising staff and visitor access. This $52.7 million Legacy Restoration Fund project is rehabilitating housing and administrative structures, replacing or rehabilitating utility systems and docks, and repairing landscape features, campsites, and interpretive media, improving public safety, dock reliability, and accessibility to the islands.
Repaving of National Park Service roads at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: This project made necessary improvements to roadways, maintaining accessibility to Michigan’s natural beauty for years to come.
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