For the first time, the economic value of outdoor recreation will be tracked by the government if President Obama signs the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016 into law/NPS

Outdoor recreation’s impact on the U.S. economy will be tracked by the government for the first time, providing information for Congress to make “sound environmental and recreational policies,” if a bill sent to the president last week is signed into law.

The bipartisan legislation, which passed both chambers of Congress by unanimous vote last month, directs the federal government to measure the outdoor industry’s annual contributions to the U.S. economy, estimated to be $646 billion by one industry group. Employment, sales, and contributions to travel and tourism are among the factors that will be tracked.

The figure could be another lever for the National Park Service to pull as it continues to seek more funding from Congress. Last year, the agency received a $3.3 billion appropriation for maintenance and operations while facing a $12 billion maintenance backlog. In April, the Park Service released a report that said national parks contributed $32 billion to the national economy and supported 295,000 jobs in 2015, leading officials to say that parks generate $10 for every $1 invested.

Another study, released in July, placed the value of the National Park System at $92 billion, which “represents how much U.S. households would pay not to lose national park units and programs,” one of the authors said. At the time, Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis hoped the report would “get the recognition of the U.S. Congress and the appropriators that the Park Service needs more federal funding.”

Outdoor groups expect President Barack Obama to sign the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016 into law before leaving office.

“This legislation will educate policymakers on the outdoor recreation industry’s contribution to our economy, including the number of jobs it's responsible for and the amount of consumer spending it generates,” Sen. Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican, said after the bill passed in the Senate on November 28.

Gardner co-authored the Senate bill with Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat. 

While the Outdoor Industry Association has said the sector generates nearly $650 billion in business each year, some have questioned the soundness of that figure and believe that a federally arrived-at impact figure would carry more sway with Congress.

"Right now, the federal recreation providers throw around numbers about contributions to GDP and more - but have little comprehension of the meaning of the numbers and absolutely no real belief that the decisions they make have a bearing on those numbers," said Derrick Crandall, counselor of the National Park Hospitality Association. "We really do believe that there will come a time when alternatives for a potential decision will be evaluated according to its economic as well as environmental consequences."

Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, agreed.

“With this vote, we can finally recognize the outdoor recreation industry’s enormous contribution to the U.S. economy,” he said after the bill cleared the House on November 14. “This data is critical to crafting sound environmental and recreational policies that support the $646 billion outdoor economy.”

Beyer introduced the act in the House last spring with Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dave Reichert, both Washington Republicans, and Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat.

“This is a big step forward in making sure that the federal government quantifies the economic importance of our industry and uses that data to inform the decisions that affect our businesses and the 142 million Americans who recreate outside each year,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association, a trade group for the outdoor industry.

The association’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Report shows that outdoor recreation accounts for $646 billion in consumer spending, 6.1 million American jobs, $80 billion in federal state and local tax revenue, and other significant economic activity across the country.

The legislation drew praise from The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization that works to protect wilderness.

“Because millions of Americans seek out public lands for camping, boating, hiking, and other outdoor recreation, we appreciate this formal recognition by Congress of its economic importance,” said Michael Carroll, The Wilderness Society’s senior director of the People Outdoors Program.