U.S. Senate approves historic legislation to improve access, opportunities on public lands at 11th hour

The U.S. Senate in one of its final acts of the year Thursday unanimously approved a first-of-its-kind package of outdoor recreation legislation that will improve access and recreation opportunities on public lands across the country. 

The bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, or EXPLORE Act, is hailed as a groundbreaking bill that affirms not just outdoor recreation’s increasing role in the U.S. economy but the industry’s appeal across political divides. 

Nearly every aspect of the outdoor industry has actively lobbied for improved outdoor recreation policy for more than a decade. The bill passed the U.S. House with a unanimous vote in April.

“By advancing this transformative legislation, Congress has shown its commitment to ensuring every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences, from our backyard to the backcountry, while supporting the businesses, workers, and communities who make those experiences possible,” said Jess Turner, the president the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable lobbying group in a statement. 

The package of outdoor recreation bills includes:

• The Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act, or PARC Act, which was supported by Colorado U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and Sen. John Hickenlooper, requires federal land managers to develop a uniform policy that protects rock climbing anchors as an appropriate use in wilderness areas. The Park Service this week bailed on a two-year plan that would have allowed local land managers to possibly ban climbing bolts in wilderness.
• The Biking On Long Distance Trails Act, or BOLT Act, introduced by Neguse in 2022, directs the Interior Department to identify at least 10 long-distance bike trails where there is an opportunity to link cross-country sections.
• The Outdoors for All Act establishes dedicated funding for the National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which will help develop projects and renovations at parks and urban open spaces near underserved communities.
• The package reauthorizes the Forest Service’s ability to convert administrative sites into housing and improves internet and cellphone access at campgrounds. It also directs increased funding to the federal government’s collection of specific recreation visitation data as a way to possibly ease crowding and better support communities that serve as gateways to public lands.
• The Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act, or SOAR Act, improves permitting for outdoor guides and outfitters across all the federal land management agencies.
• The Improving Access to Outdoor Recreation Coordination Act tasks the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation, which was created by the Biden administration in 2022, with coordinating cohesive outdoor recreation policies and regulations across all land management agencies.
• The EXPLORE Act also encourages land managers to improve parking at trailheads, with language that was part of Hickenlooper’s More Parking, More Hiking Act.

The outdoor recreation economy contributes $1.2 trillion to the national economy, according to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis of the industry. Since 2012, the outdoor recreation economy has grown by 36% and now is larger than agriculture, extractive industries and utilities. Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy was among the top 10 states in 2023. 

“Our booming outdoor recreation economy creates jobs and drives local economies across Colorado,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We’re making it easier for our outdoor rec businesses and outfitters to thrive while improving access to our public lands.”

 “It’s as simple as this — in Colorado, the preservation of our public lands and the strength of our outdoor recreation economy is not only integral to the spirit of our state but to the success of our people,” Neguse said in a statement. “I am proud to see these bills through to the finish line — and even more excited for the ways in which they will deliver for our communities.”

The EXPLORE Act will now go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.