King Cites the Importance of Maine's Outdoor Recreation Economy, Urges Action to Drive Traffic Wider Across Park System

Press Release

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, today stressed the economic benefits of Maine's recreation industry and the need to make outdoor opportunities available to more Americans during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee. King specifically pointed to two pieces of legislation under consideration by the committee that he supports that would improve access to outdoor opportunities by cutting red tape and supporting public lands access in underserved communities. A recent report shows that outdoor recreation accounts for 3.3% of Maine's GDP -- the third highest in the nation.

"Maine has the third-highest percentage of our GDP in outdoor recreation of any state in the country -- Acadia National Park this year had 4 million visitors up from a record of 3.7 million a couple of years ago. It's an incredible part of our economy. Unfortunately during the pandemic we lost 24% of our jobs in outdoor recreation," said Senator King. "Outdoor recreation is so important, [which is why] I'm co-sponsoring the Simplifying Outdoor Access Act. Also, I want to commend the Outdoors for All Act, of which I'm also a co-sponsor because park resources are not equitably distributed and there are millions of Americans that really do not have access. That is what the program is about; to encourage a program in the National Parks Service for partnerships with local park facilities."

The Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act would simplify the permitting process for outfitters, educational organizations, and community groups to access public lands and remove duplicative processes to reduce costs and shorten processing times. It also reduces permit fees and cost recovery expenses for small organizations. The Outdoors for All Act would codify the existing Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program of the National Park Service (NPS) and establish a dedicated source of funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The bill would require NPS to award grants for projects in communities without adequate park access to acquire land and water for parks and would require NPS to prioritize projects that support underserved communities.

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