On March 12, President Donald J. Trump signed S. 47 into law during a White House signing ceremony. The legislation, renamed the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act in honor of the noted congressional conservation advocate who passed away last month, includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as a number of land protection designations and sportsmen’s conservation provisions. Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation with overwhelming support in February.

Acting Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, who was formally nominated to serve as the next Secretary on the same day, voiced his support for the law: “President Trump knows that federal lands are meant to provide both peace and prosperity for the American people, and signing this bill allows us to continue managing public lands in a balanced way. This bill is extremely beneficial to the American people and I look forward to working with Congress and local communities to implement the many local conservation wins within the bill.”

“I thank President Trump for signing our lands package into law. His effort to achieve energy dominance for our nation while simultaneously working with us to create a conservation legacy with this lands package exceeds the accomplishments of his recent predecessors,” stated Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) who played a key role in negotiating and pushing the final package. “This law will benefit every state and clear the deck of issues that we’ve been working to resolve for years. From providing access for sportsmen to creating new economic opportunities for local communities, this is a good, balanced measure. We built it through a team effort that drew strong support from both parties in both chambers. Today is a triumph for good process and good policy, and this bill is a win for Alaskans and all Americans.”