Biden signs bipartisan outdoor recreation bill into law

President Biden on Monday signed a bipartisan bill aimed at boosting outdoor recreation weeks after it cleared the Senate.

The bill, the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, will expand opportunities for Americans in public outdoor spaces like national parks and forests.

Its provisions include improved access for disabled people and military veterans, protections for rock climbing, better access to public lands and waters for recreational purposes and abridged permitting processes and reduced fees for small businesses that depend on public lands.

It also officially allows for the use of fixed rock-climbing anchors, resolving an earlier controversy in which some areas sought to restrict such anchors in national forest and park areas.

The bill passed the Republican-majority House by voice vote in April, with Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) co-sponsoring. In December, amid the House’s struggle to pass legislation to fund the U.S. government, the bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

“This influential bipartisan legislation will create new opportunities for climbers and bikers, increase access for veterans and service members, support small businesses and communities in the outdoor recreation economy and help modernize and improve visitor experiences,” Westerman said following the December passage. “I'm proud to support this legislation and thankful for all the hard work leading to this incredible win."

The relatively noncontroversial nature of the legislation stands in contrast to another natural resources-related move by the White House Monday, when Biden announced he would impose new restrictions on offshore oil drilling.

President-elect Trump vowed to undo the move upon taking office, while Westerman said the newly seated Congress “will use every tool, including reconciliation, to restore and unleash these revenues, fueling conservation, coastal resilience, and energy independence, and ensuring America—not OPEC, Russia or China—leads the world.”

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