Congress agrees on one thing: Expanding access to the outdoors
The vision
“The goal is that we’re growing the recreation economy for all recreation. So the hikers and bikers and hunters and anglers and skiers and snowmobilers and boaters and ATVers — we’re looking at what we all agree on. And we all agree on access for everyone.”
— Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
The spotlight
In today’s political landscape, it seems unlikely for much of anything to garner bipartisan support, let alone anything to do with climate or environmental equity. But, just before the end of the year, one of the final acts of the 118th U.S. Congress was passing the EXPLORE Act, a bill aimed at expanding access to the outdoors. The sweeping piece of legislation includes measures to develop new long-distance bike trails, improve outdoor access for veterans and people with disabilities, and even …