WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a bill that will devote nearly $3 billion a year to conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act authorizes spending about $900 million a year, which is twice the current spending, on the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund. It would authorize another $1.9 billion a year to be spent to make improvements at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and range lands. Supporters call it the most significant conservation legislation in nearly half a century. Opponents however say it’s not enough money, claiming there is a 20 billion dollar maintenance backlog.
