Following push from Wyden, agencies to report the economic benefits of America’s outdoor recreation economy.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., applauded the Senate’s passage this week of bipartisan legislation that he pushed to study the economic benefits of outdoor recreation. The Outdoor Recreation’s Economic Contributions (REC) Act would inform policymakers and business leaders on the number of jobs created and the amount of consumer spending driven by the U.S. outdoor recreation economy.
Last year, Wyden and Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., sent a letter urging the administration to conduct this study to provide businesses and policymakers with the data they need to help ensure that America’s outdoor economy continues to thrive. Following the letter from Wyden and Klobuchar, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced in April that it would work with the U.S. Department of Commerce to produce a national report detailing the economic benefits of outdoor recreation.
The Outdoor REC Act now goes to the president to be signed into law, ensuring that no matter who is in the White House, outdoor recreation business leaders will get the information they need to grow their businesses.
“Outdoor recreation produces big economic benefits throughout all parts of Oregon and is an essential piece of our way of life,” Wyden said. “I’ve pushed for this report because it will give entrepreneurs in Oregon and across the country the information they must have to make the most out of these outdoor recreation opportunities that generate jobs and business growth in rural and urban areas.”
Wyden also included a similar economic study in his Recreation Not Red-Tape Act (RNR Act), which would require the federal land management agencies to study the impact that outdoor recreation on federal lands has on the economy. Senator Wyden introduced the RNR Act with Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. earlier this year. In addition to the economic study, the RNR Act would remove bureaucratic roadblocks to public lands and expand outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.
The Senate version of the Outdoor REC Act, which Wyden co-sponsored, was introduced by Senators Cory Gardner, R-Colo. and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. The legislation would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to account for the impact of the multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation industry in their publicly available reports.
