Field Hearing: Oversight hearing titled “The Great American Outdoors Act: Modernizing and Maintaining National Parks to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday”

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs

2025-09-05

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The House Natural Resources Committee held a bipartisan hearing on reauthorizing the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), examining its impact on national park infrastructure and visitor experiences. Witnesses from Wyoming, Arkansas, and other states emphasized the importance of modernizing trails, roads, and facilities to meet growing visitation demands. The hearing highlighted successful public-private partnerships, such as those in Grand Teton, where private funding has leveraged federal investments to improve access and amenities. Key concerns included the disproportionate allocation of GAOA funds, the ongoing infrastructure backlog, and the 24% loss of Park Service permanent staff due to hiring freezes. Participants advocated for reforms to prioritize modernization over just deferred maintenance, expand public-private collaboration, and ensure adequate staffing to maintain and protect national parks. The hearing also stressed the economic and environmental value of national parks, noting their role in supporting local economies and sustaining wildlife habitats.

Participants

Transcript

for an official oversight field hearing of the Committee on Natural Resources.   Thank you, Superintendent Jenkins.  My name is Bruce Westerman, and I serve as the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and I represent the 4th District of Arkansas.  I'm grateful to be joined by the representative for the entire state of Wyoming, who probably needs no introduction, Ms. Harriet Hageman, and I want to thank her for inviting us to her district.   We're also joined by several of our bipartisan colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee.  And actually, a couple of them are stuck in traffic and will join us as we get going more.  And one of those is Amada Radawagam from American Samoa.   We also have a member who is going to be here, Jeff Crank from Colorado, whose flight got canceled last night.  We have Teresa Ledger Fernandez from New Mexico.  Emily, I'm not sure she's, she got canceled too.  And Susie Lee from Nevada, who's also on her way.   We're also joined by one of our colleagues that's not on the committee, Representative Troy Downing from Montana.  And I'd like to ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to participate in today's hearing from the dais.
Without objection, so ordered.  Before we begin, I'll remind everybody about the rules of decorum for an official congressional proceeding, which that is what we're having today.  As if there not be any kind of disruption or disruption regarding the testimony given here today, it is important that we respect the rules of the committee and of the House and to allow the members and the public to hear our proceedings.   Now we will begin our hearing with an opening prayer.  We will be led by Ms. Joanne Goldfarb, a leader in the Jackson Hole Jewish community.  And then after the prayer, we will have a pledge.  Okay.  We will rise for the pledge.   to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  Thank you.  Thank you.   I now will recognize the ranking member-designee, Representative Ledger-Fernandez, for any opening statements you would like to make.
Also, every single one of those cars that's stuck in line, the people who are hiking, the voters, the people engaged in the picnic, everybody, because it is our joint effort that makes our national parks what they are.  And it is how we are come to symbolize what America is.  America is a place where we all come together and where we all belong.   And the place that reminds us best of how we belong are places like this, our national parks, our national treasures.  One of the witnesses today in his testimony talked about awe, A-W-E, the awe that we feel in natural places.  We can feel awe when we look up at the Tetons.   feel awe and I want to give thanks to I didn't I wasn't here I came the year after this law was passed but I love the fact that it is also a bipartisan law imagine that it was passed   with your leadership, with the leadership of the late Chairman Raul Grijalva, who I recognize as one of our ancestors now, one of the people who came before us, signed into law by President Trump.
This is bipartisanship at work.  It has made a difference now in that we have seen projects funded by both aspects of this law, and both aspects are very important across every 50 states.  We have heard and driven on how it's made a difference here in the Grand Tetons.  I know in my own state of New Mexico, it is made of difference as well.  We value our national parks there.   And we know that it is also an interesting combination of both the reliance and the interconnection of energy development, which funds it, and then our beautiful outdoors and conservation, which benefits it.   That there are ways in which we are interconnected and we need to value that and recognize that both aspects need to be supported and recognized and honored.  Last year in 2024, under the Biden administration, we had the largest output and development of, we produced more energy than ever before.   And I am grateful for that, not just because I happen to represent the Permian Basin, the San Juan Basin, where a lot of energy development happens, but also because then it could fund the good work that we need in Teton, that we need at Grand Canyon, that we need at Chaco Canyon, that we need in parks across our country.   I also want to recognize the fact that it is the Park Service and all your employees who get this work done.  And that is important that we maintain the personnel because it does take boots on the ground.   to make sure that we protect our parks.  And I hope that we restore and we're able to have the full complement of employees at our parks so they can get this work done.
So once again, thank you to all of our members who come.  Thank you to everybody here who makes this kind of beauty accessible for all Americans and all visitors.  Muchisimas gracias.  Thank you.

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