The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) praised the House Natural Resources Committee’s field hearing in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to review the bipartisan Great American Outdoor Act 250, legislation that would reauthorize and strengthen the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund established under the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020.
The legislation was introduced on June 10, by Chairman Bruce Westerman, Republican of Arkansas, and Ranking Member Jared Huffman, Democrat of California, and has 93 bipartisan original cosponsors. It seeks to extend and reinforce the Legacy Restoration Fund to support infrastructure improvements across federal public lands and waters.
“The Legacy Restoration Fund has already delivered transformative results for access to outdoor recreation, funding projects nationwide, and improving critical infrastructure across America’s public lands and waters. That’s why ORR and its members have worked hard with members of Congress and the Administration to advance these bipartisan policies,” said Jessica Turner, president of ORR.
“From trails and campgrounds to marinas and visitor facilities, these investments have enhanced access, supported local economies, and improved the visitor experience. Reauthorizing and strengthening the LRF now represents a generational opportunity to build on that success and ensure public lands and waters are equipped to meet a growing interest in outdoor recreation as a cornerstone of healthy, resilient, and sustainable economies and communities as we celebrate America’s 250th and for the next 250 years to come,” Turner added.
According to a News and Insights report of RVIA on June 15, hearing witnesses were ORR member Katherine Andrews of Arkansas’ Office of Outdoor Recreation, Kate MacGregor of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Chris French of the U.S. Forest Service, actor and director Kevin Costner, Cole McCaskill of the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Ward of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis shows outdoor recreation represents a $1.3 trillion economic sector, supporting 5.2 million jobs and contributing $351 million per day from recreation on federal lands and waters.
ORR said it supports continued business certainty and sustained investment in public lands infrastructure, noting it has submitted a letter to the committee in support of the legislation. The group also expressed support for the America the Beautiful Act introduced by U.S.