The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable sent a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressing strong concern about provisions in the Senate’s budget reconciliation text that mandate the sale of millions of acres of public lands. The letter, dated June 23, was signed by leading marine advocacy groups, including the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and the American Sportfishing Association.
The land sale measures were struck from the House version of the bill but are still under consideration in the Senate version. The provisions are in negotiations and are expected to be revised and reviewed before going to vote. Senate Republican leadership has set a deadline for passing the bill by July 4.
In the letter, ORR warns that “this sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands could have a significant impact on the Americans who visit their lands and waters for recreational purposes and the broader $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry that sustains 5 million American jobs, 2.2% of the nation’s economy and 3.2% of all employees in the country.”
While ORR acknowledged in the letter that there may be circumstances where targeted land transactions are appropriate, it said that the reconciliation legislation “does not allow for appropriate mechanisms to protect recreation access, funding or public input, and instead sets a dangerous precedent that lands can be sold anytime the U.S. Treasury needs a budget ‘pay-for,’ depriving the American people of the ongoing return on investment public lands provide.”
The letter was signed by ORR and 19 national member organizations from across the outdoor recreation industry.
