Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) has stated the chamber could be ready to move on a sweeping outdoor recreation package as soon as this week. This news comes a month after the House passed its outdoor recreation bill, Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, by voice vote.
The Senate companion bill led by Manchin and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, advanced out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. Manchin said he had talked to his House counterpart, Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR), last Tuesday night about the effort.
Together, the bills would overhaul large portions of U.S. policy governing recreation on public lands. The package includes new measures to increase internet access, streamline permitting, and create a new interagency council for recreation, among other initiatives.
In praising the House bill’s passage last month, Natural Resources ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) highlighted provisions that would increase accessibility for the disabled, provide more job opportunities for veterans, and close the nature gap in underserved urban communities.
The bill would also permanently authorize the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, which provides grant funding for urban areas to develop green spaces and outdoor activities.
The legislation draws from multiple separate bills, including the “Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act,” the “Outdoor Recreation Act” and the “Recreation Not Red Tape Act.”
