The 2009 Outdoor Industry
Association (OIA) Friend of the Outdoor Industry Awards will be
presented to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congressman Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ) for their leadership in advocating for public policies
that support the growth and success of the active outdoor industry. The
awards will be presented during the annual Outdoor Industry Association
Capitol Summit in Washington, D.C., on April 21 through April 23.
“Both
Senator Cantwell and Congressman Grijalva have been real leaders in
ensuring that policies that impact the outdoor recreation industry help
to support the growth of the outdoor recreation economy and our
industry,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president of OIA. “We are deeply
appreciative of their efforts.”
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is
a member of the Senate Finance Committee where she oversees trade
policy and a member of the Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over
Public Lands and Forests. These committee assignments and the location
of many outdoor industry companies in Washington state have made her a
key ally on trade and public lands issues.
Senator Cantwell is
the lead sponsor of the Affordable Footwear Act, a bipartisan
legislative initiative to eliminate duties on outdoor recreation
footwear and a supporter of the bill to reduce tariffs on outdoor
performance apparel while investing in a fund focused on sustainable
textile manufacturing.
Senator Cantwell has also been a leader
for the outdoor industry on recreation issues. She recently passed
legislation that designates the 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Scenic
Trail as a National Scenic Trail and will promote its protection and
maintenance. She has opposed making the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
available for oil exploration, introduced the Roadless Area
Conservation Act which would protect 58.5 million acres of the United
States last remaining pristine forestlands, and championed legislation
that designated 106,000 acres of land in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie
National Forest as the Wild Sky Wilderness Area.
Senator
Cantwell has joined fellow senators in advocating for increased funding
for the stateside Land and Water Conservation Fund and most recently,
she stressed the importance of the issue to Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar during his confirmation hearing.
Finally, Senator
Cantwell authored the Senate letter sent to then-Interior Secretary
Dirk Kempthorne urging him to postpone the December 2008 lease sales on
sensitive wilderness lands and lands adjacent to national parks in
Utah. That issue was resolved last week when U.S. Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar announced that he will withdraw the offering of 77 leases
in the Green River and 9 Mile Canyon corridors of Utah.
“I'd
like to thank the Outdoor Industry Association for this recognition,”
said Senator Cantwell. “I have the privilege to represent one of the
most beautiful states in the country, which is home to some of our most
pristine natural resources and national parks. I will continue working
on policies that support outdoor recreation and protect this nation's
natural resources,” she continued.
Representative Raul Grijalva
(D-AZ) is chairman of the House subcommittee on National Parks, Forest
and Public Lands. The Subcommittee oversees 600, 000 million acres of
federal land. During his tenure as chair of the committee, Congressman
Grijalva has been a staunch proponent of increasing funding for public
lands and for policies that prioritize the preservation of wilderness
and opportunities for human-powered recreation.
Congressman
Grijalva is the lead sponsor of the bill that provides permanent
congressional recognition of the Bureau of Land Managements National
Landscape Conservation System.
Congressman Grijalva is also the
lead sponsor and author of the House-version of the National Park
Service Centennial Initiative. His bill would provide the National Park
Service $1 billion over a ten-year period to fund signature projects in
the National Parks in advance of the 2016 NPS Centennial.
During
the Bush Administration, Congressman Grijalva served as a congressional
watchdog of the Department of Interior as he pushed for a more balanced
approach to energy development on public lands in which the needs and
benefits of human-powered recreation would be given considerable weight
in the decision-making process. At the end of 2008, he asked the Forest
Service to make its recreation fee program more transparent to the
paying-public and has prioritized hearings on the recreation fee
program in his committees agenda for 2009.
“Id like to thank the
Outdoor Industry Association for this honor,” said Congressman
Grijalva. “When we invest in the protection of our natural heritage, we
also invest in the well-being of our people and the health of our
economy. Americas public lands provide recreation for our citizens, as
well as opportunity for the active outdoor recreation industry. I
remain committed to protecting our nations natural and cultural
resources so that Americans can continue to enjoy them, responsibly,
for generations to come,” he continued.
The Friend of the Outdoor
Industry Award is presented annually to members of Congress and
administration officials in recognition for their leadership in support
of the active outdoor recreation industry.
Past recipients of the Friend of the Outdoor Industry Award include:
- 2008: Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), Representative Mark Udall (D-CO)
- 2007:
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Senator Lamar Alexander
(R-TN). Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) - 2006: Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO)
- 2005: Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
- 2004: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
- 2003: Representative David Obey (D-WI), Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT)
- 2002: Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA)
- 2001: Representative George Miller (D-CA), Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH)
