Why It Matters
National Park Foundation (NPF), a nonprofit, reported lobbying on National Parks, NPF appropriations and the Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 9250) in its 2026 third-quarter filing. H.R. 9250 was ordered reported by voice vote by the House Natural Resources Committee on June 24, while a July 23 report said S. 1547, the America the Beautiful Act, had been approved by a Senate natural-resources committee.
By the Numbers
The foundation's third-quarter 2026 in-house filing reports $108,602 in lobbying expenditures, signed Oct. 30. That is up $88,076 from the $20,526 the in-house operation reported for the second quarter of 2026. Compared with the same quarter a year earlier, the in-house filing reported $8,032, a difference of $100,570.
The foundation also retains Natural Resource Results LLC as an outside firm, which reported $40,000 for the third quarter of 2026, unchanged from the second quarter. The combined client total for the third quarter is $148,602, up $88,076 from $60,526 in the second quarter.
The in-house filing names one lobbyist: Paul Coussan, the foundation's vice president of government relations, who has prior government experience that includes Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr. (R-LA-3). Natural Resource Results LLC's third-quarter filing lists Jake Swanson, Mitch Butler, Sara Tucker, and David Anderson.
Broader Context
H.R. 9250 was introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) on June 10; S. 1547 was sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and introduced May 1, 2025. The original Great American Outdoors Act became Public Law 116-152 in 2020, establishing the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund for deferred maintenance on federal lands.
A 2020 coalition letter signed by more than 850 organizations, including NPF, urged Congress to pass the original act, arguing it would direct up to $9.5 billion over five years to deferred maintenance and permanently dedicate $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Opponents, led by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Public Lands Council, called the bill an irresponsible response to infrastructure needs, objected to mandatory Land and Water Conservation Fund spending amid COVID-19 relief and federal debt, and argued that land acquisition funding would distract from maintenance on lands already federally managed, citing an approximately $20 billion backlog.
On appropriations, H.R. 9171, the fiscal year 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, was placed on the House Union Calendar on June 5, and no Senate companion has been identified. In May 2025, the House Appropriations Committee's top Democrat on the Interior subcommittee raised concerns over plans to eliminate $26 million in National Park Service (NPS) grant funding.
The Bottom Line
The next decision point is the Senate floor, where H.R. 9250 and S. 1547 await action before the Senate's target adjournment on Dec. 18. Across complete quarters on record, the foundation's in-house spending has climbed while its outside firm's fees have held flat, concentrating lobbying growth inside the organization.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article
