President Trump has signed the spending package that includes provisions to protect both Lake Lanier’s name and recreation sites.
“With the stroke of his pen, President Trump signed critical wins for our beloved Lake Lanier into law,” said Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-Jackson County). “From saving small business owners from facing burdensome rebranding costs to providing a solution to keep parks open for families to safely enjoy, the enactment of my effective provisions will preserve and improve Lake Lanier for many years to come.”
The bill allows local partners that manage recreation sites at any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) civil works project, such as Lanier, to spend collected user fees across all sites they oversee at that project, rather than being limited to using the fees only at the specific site where the funds were collected.
The measure mirrors Clyde and Rep. Rich McCormick’s (R-Suwanee) Lanier Parks Local Access Act, which aims to incentivize local governments to manage recreation sites on civil works projects like Lake Lanier — a simple yet effective solution to help keep Lake Lanier parks open, safe, and well-maintained.
Additionally, the bill includes language requested by Rep. Clyde to prohibit the Corps from using taxpayer funds to rename Buford Dam and Lake Lanier:
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to carry out any action altering the designation of Buford Dam and Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia, authorized in Public Law 84-457. (Page 65)
Without this codification, nearly 350 local businesses and organizations in North Georgia using “Lanier” in their name would have faced significant rebranding costs. Some examples include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, Lanier Federal Credit Union, and Lanier Steel Products.