Outdoor Rec. Roundtable Supports Burgum for Sec. of Interior – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation associations, has expressed its support for the nomination of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
In this role, Burgum will lead an agency with more than 70,000 employees who are stewards for 20% of the nation’s lands, including national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges and other public lands. The Department oversees the responsible development of conventional and renewable energy supplies on public lands and waters, is the largest supplier and manager of water in the 17 western states and upholds trust responsibilities to the 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives.
In a letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich, ORR along with 33 of its national member organizations and businesses, highlighted Burgum’s support for outdoor recreation, economic growth, and the preservation of public lands and waters.
“Governor Burgum’s track record in supporting outdoor recreation and his understanding of the outdoor recreation economy make him uniquely qualified to lead the Department of the Interior,” said ORR in the letter. “As an avid outdoorsman and a proponent of public-private partnerships, Governor Burgum’s leadership is critical to ensuring the long-term success of outdoor recreation as an economic driver and community connector.”
Burgum, who recently established North Dakota’s Office of Outdoor Recreation after participating in ORR’s National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum in Washington, D.C., has demonstrated a commitment to outdoor recreation through economic innovation.
ORR also emphasized the important role Burgum’s leadership will play in addressing the growing demands and challenges on public lands and waters, including increased visitation, infrastructure needs, maintenance backlogs, and the impacts of climate change.
“Outdoor recreation contributes $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy, supports 5 million American jobs, and represents 2.3% of the nation’s GDP,” ORR noted. “Strong leadership at the Department of the Interior is essential to sustain this growth and expand access to the outdoors for future generations.”
The letter also praised recent bipartisan efforts to advance outdoor recreation policies, such as the passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. ORR pledged to work with Governor Burgum, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and other stakeholders to implement the new law and ensure continued progress on critical issues, including the reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund.
“The success of America’s $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy relies on effective stewardship of our public lands and waters,” said ORR. “We are confident that Governor Burgum will provide the leadership needed to address the challenges ahead and foster a sustainable and thriving outdoor recreation economy for all Americans.”
ORR looks forward to collaborating with Burgum and the 119th Congress, the release concluded, to advance policies that support outdoor recreation, strengthen local communities and economies, and preserve the nation’s natural resources for future generations.
The full text of the letter is available here.
ABOUT ORR
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable is the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation associations representing the more than 110,000 outdoor businesses in the recreation economy and the full spectrum of outdoor-related activities. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that outdoor recreation generated $1.2 trillion in economic output (2.3% of GDP), 5 million jobs and comprises 3.1% of U.S. employees.
