Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) issued a statement in support of the $1 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Bill introduced in the Senate:
“After months of negotiations between stakeholders in D.C. and around the country, the outdoor industry is pleased to see the introduction of this historic infrastructure deal and strongly supports efforts to pass it in the Senate,” said OIA Executive Director Lise Aangeenbrug. “The outdoor industry is an economic force, generating $778 billion in consumer spending and 5.2 million jobs. We depend on modern, reliable infrastructure to deliver our products to consumers and connect people with parks and green spaces. We were grateful to sit at the table with business, labor and policy leaders to discuss the legislation, and we are delighted to see the legislation provides long-overdue investments to upgrade our nation’s roads and bridges, electric grid, aviation capabilities, ports, parks, and natural infrastructure.
“We also strongly support the bill’s many provisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including the largest investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in history, federal funds to make our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change, support for planting billions of trees to advance reforestation efforts, and resources to protect communities against droughts, wildfires, and floods. Climate change is an existential threat to our industry and our way of life. We are heartened to see these commonsense solutions have been incorporated.
“In addition to climate provisions, federal investments in parks and trails are also needed. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of easily accessible green spaces, yet more than 100 million Americans still do not live within a 10-minute walk to a park. Outdoor spaces provide countless economic, mental, and physical health benefits for every community, regardless of zip code. We are encouraged to see the inclusion of parks and trails as a key part of America’s infrastructure in this bill.
“Finally, we are especially grateful to the Biden administration for giving the outdoor industry a seat at the table during these discussions. We look forward to working with our members to advance this bill and pursue more climate-forward proposals in the near future, as talks of a reconciliation package continue to ramp up.”
Photo courtesy Getty
