Now Signed Into Law, Great American Outdoors Act Brings Jobs, Much-Needed Improvements To Our Iconic National Parks

It can seem rare, but sometimes things do get done in Washington. And when one of those things promises to create more than 110,000 infrastructure jobs while making our national parks and public lands more accessible to all, that is cause for celebration.

At a time of such polarized politics, the bi-partisan support for the Great American Outdoors Act is very gratifying. It shows something those of us in the outdoor recreation industry have always known, the great outdoors is a great unifier.

Without raising a dime in taxes, the new law reallocates funding generated by federal lands and waters to help modernize campgrounds and tackle long-deferred maintenance and dire infrastructure needs plaguing federal lands and waters. The $114 billion RV industry and the $778 billion outdoor recreation economy both need and benefit from this legislation. 

In addition--and very importantly--this new law will help create jobs. More than 110,000 infrastructure jobs will be needed to help improve our national parks and this new law will fund both those jobs and the infrastructure updates. So, it is truly a win-win for outdoor enthusiasts and our economy alike.

And the timing could not be better. One thing that has become abundantly clear over the past several months is that Americans feel the need to be outside, among nature, more keenly than ever. This desire to explore the great outdoors is evidenced not only by the uptick in sales of RVs, boats, bicycles and other outdoor products, but also by the boom in campground and RV park reservations.

Outdoor recreation is truly having its moment--and is one of the silver linings in the COVID-19 cloud. The Great American Outdoors Act is a great start to ensuring generations of people will have better, safer access to camping in our national parks and forests.

Of the millions of acres of public lands our nation owns, our state is blessed with six national parks alone--two of them in the Twin Cities area. When you visit any one of them, you can now envision some much-needed improvements taking place in the coming years, which will allow visitors to Minnesota to fully experience and appreciate the abundant natural beauty here.

I’m grateful to be part of an industry helping Americans experience our iconic national parks this summer, and beyond. Thanks to RVs, millions of Americans have had the freedom to get outdoors during the pandemic in a safe, controlled and fun environment. Now, with the Great American Outdoors Act signed into law, even more Americans will be able to experience the full splendor of these national treasures.