Democrats’ Infrastructure Bill Includes Investment in Energy and Parks
June 25, 2020
House Democrats’ infrastructure package, the Moving Forward Act, includes $70 billion for upgrading the nation’s energy infrastructure, promotes renewable energy, and invests in local parks and green stormwater management infrastructure. ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave our nation’s energy and public parks categories each a grade of “D+,” and it found the 10-year investment gap......
Senate Passes Historic Parks Infrastructure Legislation
June 17, 2020
Our nation’s parks infrastructure had a victory this week with Senate passage (73 – 25) of the Great American Outdoors Act, S. 3422. This win would not have been possible without the incredible advocacy of our Key Contacts, who sent 350 emails to 78 Senate offices! ASCE supports passage of this legislation as a critical......
Urban Parks Infrastructure Gets Congressional Spotlight
February 28, 2020
This week, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on H.R. 4512, the Outdoors for All Act, sponsored by Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) and endorsed by ASCE. This bipartisan bill guarantees a source of funding up to $25 million to expand outdoor recreation opportunities in urban communities and......
ASCE Supports Reauthorization and Full Funding of the Land & Water Conservation Fund
October 05, 2018
An earlier blog post this week featured ASCE’s support for legislation to invest in our nation’s public parks by addressing our National Park Service’s deferred maintenance backlog. The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a critically important program that helps fund public parks infrastructure. Unfortunately, its authorization expired on September 30, and congressional action is......
ASCE Supports National Park Service Deferred Maintenance Backlog Legislation
October 03, 2018
Our nation’s public parks are incredible economic drivers and therefore critical infrastructure systems. They create thousands of American jobs, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and sustain communities across the country. In fact, the National Park Service’s (NPS) 2016 centennial anniversary brought in a record-breaking 331 million visitors who spent an estimated $18.4 billion in......
ASCE Supports Legislation to Reduce Deferred Maintenance Backlog at National Parks
September 14, 2017
ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave our nation’s public parks a grade of “D+.” Despite the growing popularity of public parks and lands, chronic underfunding of our parks infrastructure continues to plague the system. The National Park Service’s (NPS) 2016 centennial anniversary generated a new wave of excitement for our nation’s public parks. In fact,......