The America the Beautiful Act reauthorizes and expands the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, which pays for deferred maintenance projects on national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management sites. The bill extends funding through fiscal years 2027 through 2031, raises the maximum amount that can be deposited into the fund to $2 billion, and sets specific spending targets for each federal land agency to ensure maintenance backlogs are addressed. It also creates a new surcharge on nonresident (non-citizen, non-permanent resident) visitors to national parks that charge entrance fees, with proceeds flowing into the maintenance fund, and this surcharge would expire in 2031. Additional provisions streamline environmental review processes for maintenance projects, allow the Interior Department to license its intellectual property (such as trademarks) for revenue, permit noncompetitive contracts with states, tribes, nonprofits, and concessioners for certain projects, and require federal agencies to report to Congress on their maintenance backlogs and long-term upkeep plans. The bill affects visitors to national parks and public lands, land management agencies, and communities near these sites, aiming to reduce the multi-billion-dollar maintenance backlog across America's public lands.
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