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ENR Committee Passes Wyden’s Recreation Not Red Tape Act

Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

May 03, 2022

Key components of the Recreation Not Red Tape Act were included in S. 3266 and passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today passed a bipartisan recreation bill that included key components of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s Recreation Not Red Tape Act to remove barriers to outdoor recreation, increase equitable access to public lands, and boost rural economies and jobs.

“No matter who you are or where you’re from, everyone should be able to have equitable access to enjoy our public lands,” Wyden said. “Breaking down the burdensome bureaucratic barriers to Oregon’s and America’s treasured natural wonders will make it easier for folks to hike, hunt, ski, fish, and experience the outdoors — with the added bonus of generating job opportunities and boosting local economies, especially in rural Oregon.” 

The following sections of the Recreation Not Red Tape Act were included in the bipartisan legislation — S. 3266 — that the Committee passed today: 

  • Encouraging the U.S. Department on the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure America’s veterans have access to outdoor recreation and outdoor volunteer and wellness programs.
  • Simplifying how fees are collected by allowing Federal Land Management Agencies to collect them online.
  • Directing the U.S. Forest Service and DOI to make the America the Beautiful Pass (the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass) available online, in addition to in-person sale locations. 
  • Allowing federal agencies, on the request of a state or county, to sell state or county entrance or recreational passes and then transfer any collected funds to the applicable state or county. 
  • Updating the Volunteers in the National Forests Act by adding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to the law, and encouraging the Secretary to engage with volunteers and increase volunteer opportunities. 

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