Public lands and waters are the backbone of a growing outdoor recreation economy and the legacy of outdoor adventure in America. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy generates nearly $14 billion annually, accounting for 2.8% of the state’s gross domestic product, and producing approximately 130,000 jobs.
With Colorado boasting world class skiing, boating, climbing, biking, hunting and fishing — among many other activities — it’s paramount that we do what we can to protect these quality experiences.
As organizations representing outdoor recreationists and outdoor businesses, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Alliance and Public Land Solutions have a stake in how our public lands and waters are managed. We strongly support the recent move to modernize oil and gas leasing practices, which is helping to ensure fair return for taxpayers and create balance between development and protection of Colorado’s valuable outdoor recreation resources.
Our organizations, constituents and customers rely on healthy and well-managed public lands and waters, which are the settings for the recreational pursuits we represent, rely upon and enjoy. The climate crisis has already affected recreation opportunities on public lands through wildfires, floods and droughts that close public lands, destroy trails and other recreation resources, and make it difficult or unsafe for people to get outside.
A recent report by Colorado State University outlines how Colorado’s dramatically warming climate combined with decreased precipitation will lead to a shrinking snowpack, water insecurity, more wildfires and degraded air quality. These climate disasters also siphon away funding and resources from land management agencies and take away from their ability to manage and expand recreation access.
The BLM’s recent updates to oil and gas leasing under a new federal rule, which went into effect June 22, are important steps in addressing climate change and preserving outdoor recreation and conservation values. The new oil and gas rule offers a fairer return to taxpayers for development on public land by increasing royalty rates.
It also discourages speculation from oil and gas operators — which can lock up access to public lands — addresses air quality pollution, and mitigates the burden on taxpayers for cleaning up abandoned and orphaned wells. Many at-risk oil and gas well sites are near Colorado’s developed recreation sites and dispersed recreation areas such as mountain bike trails, climbing crags and hunting and fishing areas.
The new BLM rule includes reforms that protect outdoor recreation resources and the outdoor economy and addresses a leading cause of climate change. These include things like making sure the BLM avoids leasing land with outdoor recreation on it, as it nearly did in the case of the famous Slickrock area in Utah a few years ago.
The new rule also encourages the BLM to make sure it is managing lands for multiple use by protecting land with fish and wildlife habitat, cultural significance and recreation.
With this rule, for the first time BLM can better integrate the role of outdoor recreation when developing standards for protecting and restoring our public lands and waters. By integrating recreation more clearly into the rule, the BLM can protect more outdoor places, support local economies and alleviate unnecessary conflict between outdoor recreation and the oil and gas industry.
Recreation visitors bring needed dollars to cities and towns that have recreation areas like rivers, trails and other outdoor spaces where a long list of outdoor activities take place. Companies and businesses across a range of industries, both large and small, are choosing to locate in these communities because their employees want to live in places with access to the great outdoors.
Despite an ill-considered bill from Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and a resolution in the Senate that would permanently block these much-needed reforms, it is critical that the BLM’s rule is protected and implemented as soon as possible.
Outdoor recreation is an economic force and part of Colorado’s economy, and the BLM needs to be able to protect recreation when it leases parcels for oil and gas development. Our organizations strongly support the BLM’s common-sense reforms and oppose efforts to overturn the rule.
By integrating recreation into the proposed rule and establishing more clear standards and guidelines, the BLM is improving the lives of Americans and delivering sustainable, long-term protections for the outdoors on which we all depend.
Louis Geltman is vice president of policy and government relations for the Outdoor Alliance, which is based in Washington, D.C.
Kent Ebersole is president of the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association.
Jason Keith is managing director of Public Land Solutions, which is based in Moab, Utah.
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