Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) celebrates Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $800 million in climate-smart infrastructure across 40 states and several U.S. territories. The investments will support better access to safe water and/or clean energy for disadvantaged communities.
“High-quality trails, campgrounds, marinas, and other recreation infrastructure projects are crucial to healthy outdoor recreation economies, as are renewable energy and energy efficiency, rural services and utilities, water quality, high-speed broadband access, and much more. These critical investments ensure that our nation’s recreation destinations can thrive while mitigating their impacts on a changing climate and ensuring sustainable access for generations to come,” said Jessica Turner, president of ORR. “The outdoor recreation industry applauds these investments in communities across the nation that will improve the quality of life and opportunities for all who live in them.”
Turner said, “Now we have an opportunity to connect these investments to new charging infrastructure in recreation destinations. This week the outdoor recreation industry will hold one of the first industry-wide summits with cross-sector companies to discuss the opportunities and challenges of integrating electric and other alternative-fueled vehicles into outdoor recreation. We are excited to start this dialogue and work with businesses, communities, and elected leaders on how best to transition to cleaner technologies in outdoor recreation.”
Announcement of climate-smart investments timely for ORR’s April 27 when ORR members will gather with cross-sector businesses, federal agencies, and members of Congress for a thought-leadership summit on next generation technologies and the recreation economy.
