RVIA and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) voiced their support for the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed Friday by the House of Representatives.
The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden this week.
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill reauthorizes surface transportation programs and provides $550 billion in new spending over five years. RVIA stated the bill is a historic investment in the nation’s core infrastructure priorities, including highways, roads, bridges, clean water, high-speed internet, transit, passenger rail, and includes several provisions beneficial to the RV industry.
“While fixing our roads and bridges on and around our nation’s iconic parks, forests, and gateway communities is a good economic investment for our country generally, these investments will also go a long way to improve the RV consumer experience and increase access to the great outdoors for all Americans,” RVIA Director of Government Affairs Chris Bornemann said. “This essential funding will also help deploy critical EV technologies and ensure that current and future RVers are able to travel on safe and adequate roads to access unparalleled outdoor experiences for generations to come.”
ORR Executive Director Jessica Wahl Turner said the roundtable appreciated the work by the administration and legislators to reach agreement.
“This infrastructure package provides an opportunity to not only rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and airports, but also to improve the infrastructure behind our beloved public lands and waters,” Turner said. “Meaningful investments in transportation, public lands, rural development, and natural infrastructure connect more people to the outdoors and strengthen the outdoor recreation economy. This creates new jobs, helps the U.S. remain globally competitive, and ensures we recover from the impacts the pandemic has had on businesses, local communities, our health, and our quality of life.”
RVIA stated its Government Affairs Team worked closely with Congress and the administration to advance key RV industry priorities in the bill. Priorities include:
- Securing more than $7 billion in funding authorizations for key federal lands infrastructure programs aimed at improving the roads, bridges, tunnels, parking lots, access points, and other critical transportation-related infrastructure on and around our national parks, forests, and public lands that RVers rely on for safe and adequate outdoor recreation and camping experiences. This includes increased investments for the Federal Lands Transportation Program (25% increase), Federal Lands Access Program (14% increase), and Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Project Program (355% increase), as well as a new $2 billion grant program.
- Securing $100 million to restore recreation sites, including campgrounds, within the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.
- Advocating for increased investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, which resulted in an initial $7.5 billion investment to deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities. Federal funding will have a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach areas where RVers frequently travel.
- Advocating for the creation of a $2 billion grant program to improve and expand surface transportation projects, including enhancing recreational and tourism opportunities by providing increased access to federal lands, national parks, national forests, national recreation areas, national wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, or state parks that RVers visit daily.
ORR cited additional outdoors benefits in the bill including:
- $100 million for restoring, preparing, or adapting recreation sites on federal lands: This is a key provision the outdoor recreation business community worked on and is imperative to ensure the continued growth and success of the industry as well as safe and quality outdoor experiences for all Americans.
- Reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund: This important funding supports fishery restoration and conservation efforts, boating access and infrastructure, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, as well as important fish stocking programs.
- Investments in Natural Infrastructure: As we are increasingly dealing with the impacts of extreme weather across the country due to climate change, such as droughts, hurricanes and wildfires, these vital investments in natural infrastructure solutions, including green infrastructure, coastal restoration, and regenerative agriculture will help strengthen conservation, enhance outdoor recreation experiences, and reduce carbon emissions. The National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program will greatly benefit the recreational fishing economy and its enormous impact on local economies and communities.
- Forest Service’s Legacy Road and Trail Program: The authorization of $250 million for this important program will help to increase recreation opportunities by investing in maintenance of Forest Service roads and trails near threatened water bodies.
RVIA stated, “We are very pleased that the bipartisan infrastructure legislation funds the RV Industry Association’s priority transportation programs at historic levels, and at the same time makes critical investments in rural broadband, supply chain resiliency and electric vehicle infrastructure.”
RVIA and ORR said they would continue to support a new bipartisan outdoor recreation package and other initiatives leading to a vibrant outdoor recreation and transportation future.
