WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), today held a hearing to discuss the benefits of the outdoor recreation industry and explore how it is driving economic growth, creating millions of jobs, and generating investment opportunities in communities across the country.
Opening up the hearing, Chairman Latta discussed the contributions to our economy from the increasing popularity and growth of the outdoor recreation sector, citing that “Americans spend $887 billion in outdoor recreation annually helping create 7.6 million jobs and generate almost $125 billion in federal, state and local revenue."
A common theme throughout the hearing was the far reaching effects that the outdoor recreation industry has on jobs, and its specific trickle-down effect in rural communities. Amy Roberts, Executive Director of the Outdoor Industry Association, relayed, “More American workers are employed by outdoor recreation than by computer technology, construction, finance or insurance." She added, “From park rangers to land planners, outdoor recreation provides jobs across the skill spectrum. These jobs are predominantly based in rural communities, strengthening local economies."
Touching on another facet of the outdoor recreation industry was Ginger Mihalik, the Executive Director for Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School. While many know of Outward Bound for its work with underserved youth, it also does extensive work with veterans. Outward Bound’s wilderness program model for veterans “helps to increase mental health, interpersonal relations, resilience, [and] sense of purpose" for many veterans after returning home from serving overseas. Mihalik explained how outdoor activities like kayaking, sailing, and hiking help veterans to “overcome shared obstacles and achieve shared goals in a non-combative wilderness setting."
Rep. Latta welcomes witnesses to today’s hearing.
The Recreation Vehicle (RV) industry is another sector of the outdoor recreation industry that is, according to James Landers, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, “creating jobs faster than we can fill them." While it contributes “$50 billion annually to the U.S. economy," Landers also presented some of the challenges that the RV industry is experiencing. “RV-associated stays within National Park Service campgrounds have declined from nearly 4.5 million overnights …to less than 2 million overnight stays." Landers believes much of this has to do with the fact that “many campgrounds operated by federal agencies were constructed half a century ago and no longer meet the needs of the current and next generations of RVers."
Jeffrey Tooze, Vice President of Global Customs & Trade at Columbia Sportswear Company also presented testimony about some of the barriers their company faces in the marketplace and challenges specific to the outdoor apparel industry. “…[T]he U.S. assess among the highest import tariffs on our categories of apparel, footware, and accessories, making them more expensive for U.S. consumers than they would otherwise need to be." He goes on to iterate that these high tariffs “[hamper] our ability to keep our prices within the reach of the broadest consumer base possible."
Touting the committee’s work in the outdoor recreation space was Marc Berejka, Director of Government & Community Affairs and REI Corporation, stating that the bill will assist in “mov[ing] economic development along even faster." Berejka also spoke to the “spillover benefits" the outdoor recreation industry has on other sectors of our economy like materials science, advanced manufacturing and other high-tech fields.
