Boulder, CO, Lakewood, CO and Park City, UT, November 7, 2019. Today, the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (OBCP) applauded the formation of the new bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. The new Senate Climate Solutions Caucus was formed late last month by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D- Del.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and plans to focus on finding solutions that would attack climate change in a way that is “durable, equitable and supportive of the American economy.”
“The Outdoor Business Climate Partnership applauds the launch and the growing bipartisan membership of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. Longer and hotter summers, prolonged droughts, increasingly devastating forest fires, rising sea levels, warming waters, reduced river flows, and unreliable snowpack are impacting our industry and communities across the country that support the $887 billion outdoor recreation economy. Thank you to all of the Senators who have recognized these impacts are taking action,” said the OBCP in a joint statement.
OBCP is an alliance of the three major outdoor industry trade groups (OIA, NSAA, SIA) representing a large portion of the outdoor business sector, which helps to support the $887 billion outdoor recreation economy and 7.6 million jobs. This influential coalition is committed to elevating the business voice of the $887 billion outdoor industry to drive bipartisan action on climate.
Today, just after the administration announced the formal departure of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, the Caucus’ membership grew to include influential GOP Senators such as Mitt Romney (R-UT), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Democrats Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and independent Angus King (I-ME), indicating a willingness to discuss climate from congressional members on both sides of the aisle.
The economic impacts of climate change will gravely affect the outdoor recreation economy in states across the country. For example, according to OIA, Colorado’s outdoor industry drives $28 billion in added consumer spending, Utah generates $12.3 billion, Maine $8.2 billion, New Hampshire $8.7 billion, Alaska $7.3 billion, South Carolina $16.3 billion.
During a recent visit to Capitol Hill, OBCP representatives from SIA, OIA and NSAA, Colorado Ski Country USA, Telluride Ski Resort, Loon Mountain and Ski NH met with Senators Braun, Coons, Murkowski and Romney to communicate the economic impacts on the outdoor industry in their states and the importance of joining the Caucus.
