NCBA, others, oppose Great American Outdoors Act

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Livestock groups say the Great American Outdoors Act, “is an irresponsible way to fix a very real problem.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Sheep Industry, along with the Public Lands Council and others voiced their opposition to the legislation in a letter to Senate leadership.

The letter urges Congress to retain its role in safeguarding public lands by opposing the bill. The groups say the Great American Outdoors Act, as written, creates more than $14 billion in new, mandatory spending and gives federal agencies free rein to spend $360 million per year solely to acquire new private land without any oversight from Congress.

The letter, signed by 48 livestock groups, says the bill adds the mounting disrepair of current land under federal control to the rampant acquisitions without accounting for management of future land acquisitions. The bill has bipartisan support, and President Donald Trump has indicated he would sign the legislation if passed.