Trump signs $3 billion conservation law

WASHINGTON—The Great American Outdoors Act easily passed both houses of Congress earlier this summer in a rare act of bipartisanship. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed the law giving almost $1 billion to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and nearly $2 billion to improving protected lands across the country. The president compared the measure to President Theodore Roosevelt creating national parks. “We want every American child to have access to pristine outdoor spaces,” he said.

Does anyone oppose the new law? Some detractors are concerned about the cost of the act, while others say it doesn’t do nearly enough to make up for $20 billion of unfinished maintenance on federal land. The law’s supporters say the measure will create more than 100,000 jobs and provide a much-needed boost to overlooked parks and forests. The Department of the Interior is designating Wednesday as a free entry day to national parks and other public lands and on Aug. 4 in future years.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew about the debate between federal and local governments over how to steward Utah’s natural resources.