President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act into law.
The outdoor recreation legislation is the largest in congressional history. The president issued numerous thanks for the people involved in ensuring the act’s passage.
“Thank you to Reps. (Bruce) Westerman, (Raul) Grijalva, (John) Curtis, (Joe) Neguse, (Doug) Lamborn, (Nanette) Barragán, (Jim) Moylan, (Mary) Peltola, (Jerry) Carl, Susie Lee, (Amata) Radewagen, (Katie) Porter, (Rob) Wittman, (Gregorio) Sablan, (Jen) Kiggans, (Debbie) Dingell, (Mike) Collins, (Teresa) Leger Fernandez, (Mike) Levin and (Ed) Case, and Sen. (Joe) Manchin and (Tom) Barrasso for their leadership.”
The Explore Act improves recreation opportunities on, and facilitates greater access to, federal public lands. Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) President Jessica Wahl Turner said the legislation will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry.
“This transformative new law will help ensure every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences,” she said, “from their backyards to the backcountry, while supporting the businesses, workers and communities who make those experiences possible.”
Turner noted the hard work of legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle.
“We are thankful to the president, our congressional champions and their staff and all who helped pass this crucial legislation into law and are proud to celebrate this moment with the nation and our ORR members who really led the way,” Turner said. “With the Explore Act now law, ORR looks forward to working with the new administration, Congress, state governments, Tribes and local communities….We are ready to get to work on implementation and enhancing access to the outdoors, modernizing recreation policies and driving economic growth across the nation.”
