Great American Outdoors Act heads to Trump as Cory Gardner leans on measure in reelection bid – The Colorado Sun

Congress on Wednesday sent President Donald Trump a major, bipartisan public lands bill that has become a pillar of Republican Cory Gardners reelection campaign in Colorado, finalizing the swift passage of a measure seen as an election-year gift to the U.S. senator.

The U.S. House approved the Great American Outdoors Act, which would achieve the long-held goal of fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund while also tackling the nations massive national parks maintenance backlog, by a vote of 310-107.

Trump has said he will sign the bill.

The measure moved through Congress at lightning speed relative to the normal pace of legislation after Gardner, who was a prime sponsor of the bill, negotiated the support of Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in March. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been trying for years to secure full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

It shows what can happen when youre committed to the path of your legislation, Gardner said in an interview with The Colorado Sun on Wednesday. Every state, every county across the country will benefit.

Gardner said he believes the legislation will create thousands of jobs in Colorado at a time when people are feeling the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis. He said its one of the greatest accomplishments of his congressional tenure.

Democrats and environmental groups with a liberal lean also applauded the bills passage.

Whether its urban parks you access to escape the fast pace of the city or hiking trails in our national parks you enjoy over the weekend, Coloradans love and utilize public lands, Hannah Collazo, the state director for Environment Colorado, said in a written statement. This bill is not only an investment in outdoor spaces but also in our emotional, spiritual, and physical health as Coloradans.

Gardner, who is facing an uphill reelection battle as he seeks a second term, has capitalized on the win. During the Senates July 4 recess he toured Colorado to tout his work on the bill. His campaign has also run two television ads boasting of its passage in the Senate.

Gardners law endorsed by every environmental leader, a 30-second TV ad released this week says.

Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter, is scheduled to make a stop in Colorado on Thursday to celebrate the bills passage at Rocky Mountain National Park with Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

Even the president weighed in on the legislations passage Wednesday.

Thanks @SenCoryGardner and @SteveDaines for all your work on this HISTORIC BILL! Trump tweeted.

Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, is another GOP member of Congress facing a tough reelection bid in November.

The Great American Outdoors act has two key provisions:

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been used to help pay for a number of projects in Colorado.

Meanwhile, the states public lands operated by the National Park Service had an estimated maintenance backlog of $2 billion in 2018. That included $84 million in needed repairs at Rocky Mountain National Park, $76 million in deferred maintenance at Mesa Verde National Park, and $21 million in put-off repairs and upgrades at the Colorado National Monument.

Democrats, while excited about the bills passage, have accused Gardner of trying to greenwash his record on the environment through the measure. They point to his decisions not to support tougher regulations on emissions of carbon dioxide and methane and his proximity to the Trump administration, which has rolled back a number of environmental regulations.

What Gardner is selling is a hollow victory, state Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder, wrote in an opinion piece published Sunday by The Sun. The only thing Gardner really seems to be working on here is how to rebrand his environmental record.

Gardner has brushed off the criticism as partisan sour grapes, but questions remain about his positions on key public lands issues, namely Trumps nomination of William Perry Pendley as head of the Bureau of Land Management. Pendley has been serving as acting director of the agency.

Colorados Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet on Tuesday called for an expedited hearing for Pendley, who has been leading the BLM as acting director for about a year despite not having gone through a confirmation hearing.

Gardner has declined to say where he stands on the nomination, explaining that hes waiting for Senate hearings before making his decision. He didnt say if he supports Bennets request for expedited proceedings.

Obviously there will be a hearing, Gardner said. I dont know when that hearing will be scheduled, but hes going to face some very difficult and tough questions.

Another area where Democrats have attacked Gardner is over the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act, a massive Colorado public lands bill being run by Democratic members of the states congressional delegation. Gardner has not thrown his weight behind the measure, citing objections from U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, a Cortez Republican whose district would be affected by the measure.

Democrats added the CORE Act into the National Defense Authorization Act as it passed this week out of the U.S. House. Gardner credited U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Boulder, with tacking the measure onto the NDAA, saying it shows what somebody who is dedicated to passing the bill can make happen.

But when asked whether he would work to keep the CORE Act as part of the defense bill as it makes its way through the Senate, Gardner said I dont think it will happen. I think its too late for any amendments here.

Gardner said he didnt have information on when Trump may sign the Great American Outdoors Act into law, but that he has encouraged the president to celebrate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who pushed for the measure.

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