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President Biden on Monday signed a bipartisan bill aimed at boosting outdoor recreation weeks after it passed the Senate.
The bill, the Outdoor Recreation Experiences on Public Lands Act, will expand opportunities for Americans in public outdoor spaces like national parks and forests.
Its provisions include better access for people with disabilities and military veterans, protections for rock climbing, better access to public lands and waters for recreational purposes, and shortened permit processes and reduced fees for small businesses that rely on of public lands.
It also officially allows the use of fixed rock climbing anchors, resolving an earlier controversy in which some areas tried to restrict such anchors to forest areas and national parks.
The bill passed the Republican-majority House on a voice vote in April, with Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) co-sponsoring. In December, amid the House’s struggle to pass legislation to fund the US government, the bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
“This influential bipartisan legislation will create new opportunities for hikers and bikers, increase access for veterans and service members, support small businesses and communities in the outdoor recreation economy, and help modernize and enhance visitor experiences,” Westerman said after the December passage. “I am proud to support this legislation and grateful for all the hard work that has led to this incredible victory.”
The relatively non-controversial nature of the legislation contrasts with another White House measure related to natural resources on Monday, when Biden announced he would impose new restrictions on offshore oil drilling.
President-elect Trump promised to undo the move upon taking office, while Westerman said the newly-seated Congress “will use every tool, including reconciliation, to restore and release these revenues, fueling conservation, coastal resilience and independence energy, and ensuring America … not OPEC, Russia or China, leads the world.”
