releases: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/warner-honored-with-national-park-foundation-s-inaugural-hero-award
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/warner-honored-with-national-park-foundation-s-inaugural-hero-award | Warner Honored with National Park Foundation's Inaugural Hero Award | 2020-12-07 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | VA | Mark Warner | W000805 | www.warner.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON Today at an outdoor and socially-distanced ceremony at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was awarded the National Park Foundation's Hero Award by Foundation President, Will Shafroth. The award commemorates Sen. Warner's work in getting The Great American Outdoors Act, a bill he championed, signed into law. As a lifelong advocate of our national parks and public lands, I am honored to be an inaugural recipient of the National Park Foundation's Hero Award. I am incredibly proud that Congress was able to come together and pass The Great American Outdoors Act this year, which included my bill the Restore Our Parks Act that will allocate up to $6.65 billion to the National Park Service to address critical maintenance needs at our beloved national parks, said Sen. Warner. This bipartisan legislation represents a truly once-in-a-generation investment in our national parks and other public lands that will protect these cherished sites for decades to come. It's only fitting that we were able to celebrate at the Jefferson Memorial, which will in fact be one of the first projects to receive funding from the new law. Ushering the bill's passage and eventual bill signing wouldn't have been possible without the tireless advocacy of the National Park Foundation. As we reflect on Senator Warner's leadership in passing the Great American Outdoors Act, the National Park Foundation is proud to recognize his commitment to national parks across our nation, said Will Shafroth, President & CEO, National Park Foundation. A true park hero, Senator Warner has been a champion for Virginia's treasured places such as Shenandoah National Park, Great Falls Park, Petersburg National Battlefield, and Fort Monroe National Monument, among others. He has also been a great proponent for the Foundation's work to enhance national parks through philanthropy, and we are grateful for his ongoing support. The Great American Outdoors Act is a product ofSen. Warner's nearly three year initialeffort to provide relief to nationalparksin Virginia, where the maintenance backlog currently sits at$1.1 billion dollars. In June, the National Park Service releaseda reportthat estimated that an average of 40,300 direct jobs and 100,100 direct and indirect jobs would be supported nationally by theRestore Our Parks Actif passed as part of theGreatAmericanOutdoorsAct. InVirginia,it isestimatedthat10,340 jobswould be created or supported as a result of Sen. Warner's push to address the national parks backlog. In addition, arecent NPS studyhighlighted the financial impact national parks sites have on Virginia's economy. Last year,22.8 million individualsfrom around the world visited national parks in Virginia, spending $1.2 billion. Additionally, national parks in Virginiahelped support17,300 jobs and contributed over $1.7 billion to the Commonwealth's economy. Because of the economic impact national parks have on communities across the country, more than 800organizationshave pledged their support for theGreatAmericanOutdoorsAct. Sen. Warner's effort to address the maintenance backlog began inMarch 2017, when he worked withSen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to introduce theNational Park Legacy Act,which would have eliminated the NPS maintenance backlog by creating a thirty-year designated fund to take care of maintenance needs at visitor centers, rest stops, trails and campgrounds, as well as transportation infrastructure operated by NPS such as the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Arlington Memorial Bridge. That same year, the U.S.Department of the Interiorannounced itsown proposal,drawing heavily on the initial proposal from Sens. Warner and Portman. However, the Administration proposal which was introduced in the Senate as theNational ParkRestorationActby Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Angus King (I-ME) would not have established a dedicated funding stream for NPS maintenance. In March 2018, after extensive negotiations among Sens. Warner, Portman, Alexander, and King, the bipartisan group introduced theRestore Our Parks Act,a bipartisan consensus proposal endorsed by the Trump Administration, to investin overdue maintenance needs at NPS sites. The bill would reduce the maintenance backlog by establishing the National Park Service LegacyRestorationFund and allocating existing revenues from onshore and offshore energy development. This funding would come from 50 percent of all revenues that are not otherwise allocated and deposited into the General Treasury, not exceeding $1.3 billion each year for the next five years. In February 2019, Sen. Warner reintroduced theRestore Our Parks Actand, the billwasoverwhelmingly approvedby the Senate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommitteein November. In March 2020, following thePresident'sannouncementthat he would back the bipartisanRestore OurParksActas well as full and permanent funding forLWCF, Sen. Warner, along with Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Steve Daines (R-MT), Portman, King, Alexander, and Richard Burr(R-NC) introduced theGreatAmericanOutdoorsAct,whichwould provide $9.5 billion over five years to the NationalParkService, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education to address the deferred maintenancebacklogat these agencies. The new law would also provide permanent, mandatory funding for theLWCF, whichprovides states and local communities with technical assistance, recognition, and funding to help preserve and protect public lands. Virginia has received approximately $368.5 million inLWCFfundingover the past four decades to helpprotectdozens of nationalparks, wildlife refuges, forests, trails and more. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |