Strength in Big Numbers

Bipartisan legislation seems like an endangered species in our nation’s capital. But BoatU.S. Magazine can report that both sides of Congress are finally cooperating … at least to pass pro-boater legislation that could be on its way to becoming law as you read this.

“We’re finally getting the recognition in Washington of the giant economic value of outdoor recreation,” says David Kennedy, manager of our BoatU.S. Government Affairs department.

By “outdoor recreation,” Kennedy means the spectrum of outdoor enthusiasts – hikers, bikers, climbers, RVers, and many more. For the first time, individual bills proposed to benefit specific activities (such as enhanced invasive aquatic species detection and contamination stations for boats) are bundled together into legislation known as The Outdoor Recreation Package.

“Typically, separate bills for each recreational community are proposed, but they’re often not big enough to move on their own,” explains Jessica (Wahl) Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). Formed in 2018, ORR is a coalition of lifestyle industries that now represents more than 110,000 outdoor businesses. BoatU.S. has been a member from the start.

“We’re expanding our coalition,” Kennedy says of boating interests aligning with terrestrial outdoor lifestyles.

The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that outdoor recreation collectively generated $1.1 trillion in economic output for the first time, provides five million jobs, and it’s growing. Inflation-adjusted (“real”) GDP for the outdoor recreation economy increased 4.8% in 2022, compared with a 1.9% increase for the overall U.S. economy, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Covid factor

The fearful days of Covid quarantining quickly turned into boom times for the recreational boating industry as people realized a boat was the perfect vessel for isolating in company. Think of other outdoor activities – fishing, RVing, motorcycling, skiing, snowmobiling – their industries all experienced a similar Covid boom in 2020 and 2021 that is now waning – but hasn’t fallen off a cliff. New powerboats sales in 2023 were down only about 2% to 258,000 new boats sold.

“There was major shift in 2020 in how people use their time and resources, and every outdoor segment struggled to keep up with demand,” says Turner. This pushed the collective outdoor recreation economy to top $1 trillion for the first time. With the social constraints of the virus now fading and options for Americans to spend their free time back to normal, the challenge is for each recreational community to retain as many newbies as possible.

“I think the American people changed their habits to make the outdoors a bigger part of their life,” says Turner. “We just need to ensure they stay engaged and keep it part of their life.”

State of play

The legislation now moving through Congress is referred to as “The Recreation Package.” But technically it’s two very similar bills that will eventually become one: the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act in the House, and the American Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA) in the Senate. Everything’s subject to change, but as of press time the EXPLORE Act was expected to be passed in the House first, and some form of the unified bill was expected to be signed into law this year, probably as AORA.

“Members of Congress know this is a good bill to get behind, so there’s been no strong opposition,” Turner says. “But there’s not a lot of time, and there are a lot of bills before Congress.”

The Recreation Package contains dozens of separate but related provisions broadly aimed at expanding and enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities on federal lands. These include land managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the USDA Forest Service.

Provisions range from streamlining the permitting processes for guides operating on federal lands to expanding broadband internet connectivity at recreation sites to supporting public-private partnerships to expand parking facilities.

“The America’s Outdoor Recreation Act is a comprehensive set of provisions to ensure our public lands are well managed and conserved to benefit the outdoor recreation economy and all those who love the outdoors,” says Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association.

For boaters, the head of each federal land management agency would have the authority to carry out inspections and decontamination of watercraft entering or leaving federal land and waters. However, the bill also prohibits agencies from denying access based on a lack of inspections. Assuming some form of the American Outdoor Recreation Act passes, expect bundling bills for recreational activities with little in common other than they take place outdoors to become the new normal in Washington, D.C.

“We have farm bills, highway bills, and agriculture bills,” says Kennedy, “So why not a designated outdoor recreation bill?”

BoatU.S. members can stay informed on relevant federal and state boating issues, and sign up to receive email alerts, via the BoatU.S. Action Center (­votervoice.net/BoatUS/home).