August 04, 2023

Manchin: Great American Outdoors Act Has Brought $23.5 Million to West Virginia to Support and Expand Outdoor Recreation Since Enactment

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: 

  • $3.5 million for Canaan Wildlife Refuge under the Fish and Wildlife Service Land Acquisition program
  • $2.18 million for Rhodes National Forest under the Forest Service Land Acquisition program
  • $1.4 million for the George Washington an Jefferson National Forest Phase I under the Forest Service Land Acquisition program
  • $3.53 million for George Washington & Jefferson National Forest Phase II under the Forest Service Land Acquisition program
  • $2.1 million for the South Fork Lost River under the Forest Service Forest Legacy program

Total for FY21: $12.7 million

Fiscal Year 2022: 

  • $975,000 for Gauley River National Recreation Area under the National Park Service Land Acquisition program
  • $7.3 million to Monongahela National Forest under Forest Service Deferred Maintenance

Total for FY22: $8.3 million 

Fiscal Year 2023: 

  • $150,000 for Canaan Wildlife Refuge under the Fish and Wildlife Service Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
  • $100,000 for the Ohio River Island National Wildlife Refuge under the Fish and Wildlife Service Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund
  • $1.23 million for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve under the National Park Service Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund
  • $1.09 million for Monongahela National Forest under Forest Service Deferred Maintenance

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. 

  • On July 21, 2023, Chairman Manchin announced $2,850,529 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through the U.S. Department of the Interior to support and expand local outdoor recreation across West Virginia. This funding was made available through Chairman Manchin’s historic Great American Outdoors Act, which was enacted in 2020 and made the full $900 million in annual LWCF funding permanent and mandatory.
  • On June 8, 2023, Chairman Manchin announced the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service is investing $1,092,000 from the National Parks and Public Legacy Restoration Fund (NPPLRF) to address three deferred maintenance projects in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest. This funding was made possible by Chairman Manchin’s Great American Outdoors Act which established the NPPLRF.
  • On April 3, 2023, Chairman Manchin announced the addition of 963 acres to the preserve portion of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Sandstone, West Virginia. The land was acquired by The Conservation Fund and was recently transferred to NPS with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that received permanent full and mandatory annual funding of $900 million through the Great American Outdoors Act.
  • On June 7, 2022, Chairman Manchin announced West Virginia will receive funds through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for seven projects to address deferred maintenance in the Monongahela National Forest, improve infrastructure, increase user access and support rural economies. This funding was made available through the Great American Outdoors Act, which was introduced by Chairman Manchin. Enacted in 2020, the historic legislation provided $9.5 billion over 5 years in annual allotments to address the deferred maintenance backlog on our country’s public lands.
  • On June 2, 2022, Chairman Manchin announced $2,747,181 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through the Department of the Interior for recreation and restoration projects in state and local parks across West Virginia.
  • On March 19, 2022, Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland touted recent investments in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Chairman Manchin said in part, “The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has received more than $4.8 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Great American Outdoors Act in recent years, which has created a beautiful recreation area for West Virginians and our visitors to enjoy for generations to come.”
  • On September 29, 2021, Chairman Manchin announced the National Park Service will invest $842,436.50 to fund recreation and restoration projects in state and local parks across West Virginia.
  • On March 19, 2021, Chairman Manchin announced the USDA Forest Service will invest $6,050,000 million in 2021 to fund projects in West Virginia to conserve critical forest and wetland habitat, support rural economic recovery, and increase public access to national forests and grasslands from the funding provided by Chairman Manchin’s historic Great American Outdoors Act.
  • On March 9, 2021, Chairman Manchin announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $285 million to help the Forest Service address critical deferred maintenance and improve transportation and recreation infrastructure on national forests and grasslands. This funding was secured when Chairman Manchin’s historic Great American Outdoors Act was enacted last year, providing $9.5 billion over five years to address the deferred maintenance backlog on our country’s public lands.
  • On February 11, 2021, Chairman Manchin applauded the Biden Administrations steps to strengthen the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by rescinding previous administration policies that restricted the landmark conservation program.
  • On September 1, 2020, Chairman Manchin announced $389,825 from the National Park Service (NPS) Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for projects to attract visitors to the Oglebay Zoo, develop Adams Street Park, and help maintain Washington Park. 
  • On August 4, 2020, Chairman Manchin applauded the signing into law of his Great American Outdoors Act. The legislation, which provides full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the approximately $20 billion deferred maintenance backlog in our Country’s public lands, passed the U.S. Senate with a vote of 73-25 on June 17th and passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 310-107 on July 22nd.