The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday expressing strong concern over provisions in the Senate’s budget reconciliation text that mandate the sale of millions of acres of public lands.
In the letter, ORR warns, “this sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands could have a significant impact on the Americans who visit their lands and waters for recreational purposes and the broader $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry that sustains 5 million American jobs, 2.2% of the nation’s economy and 3.2% of all employees in the country.”
The letter emphasizes, “at a time when the outdoor recreation industry is facing significant headwinds, keeping public lands public is a bipartisan, pro-business solution that ensures economic growth, job creation, continued recreational opportunities and safeguards for outdoor businesses.”
ORR acknowledges there may be circumstances where targeted land transactions are appropriate, but it cautions that reconciliation legislation, “does not allow for appropriate mechanisms to protect recreation access, funding or public input, and instead sets a dangerous precedent that lands can be sold anytime the U.S. Treasury needs a budget ‘pay-for,’ depriving the American people of the ongoing return on investment public lands provide.”
The letter urges the Senate to, “remove these harmful provisions before final passage, just as they were removed in the House version.”
The letter was signed by ORR and 19 national member organizations, including RVIA and RVDA, from across the outdoor recreation industry.
