Recently Introduced EXPLORE Act Addresses Key Outdoor Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday Reps. Bruce Westerman and Raul Grijalva introduced the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, a House Outdoor Recreation package that includes legislation such as the Outdoors For All Act, Military Veterans in Parks Act, and also reauthorizes the Every Kid Outdoors program. 

• The Outdoors For All Act would authorize the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, which helps economically disadvantaged communities with little to no access to public outdoor recreation spaces.
• The Military Veterans in Parks Act would promote opportunities and enhance outdoor recreation experiences for veterans and active duty members on federal lands and water by improving disability access and includes a jobs pilot program for veterans at the Department of the Interior.
• The Every Kid Outdoors program provides all 4th graders and their families free access to over 2,000 federally-managed parks, lands and waters.

In response, Sierra Club’s Gerry James, deputy director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign, released the following statement:

“Many communities struggle to access the outdoors. For some, there’s a lack of safe and engaging outdoor spaces for them to enjoy in their neighborhoods. For others, there’s a lack of accessible pathways or work opportunities in the outdoors field. For still others, cost and transportation keeps them from visiting public lands. The EXPLORE Act addresses these problems with a series of bills aimed at supporting underserved communities, veterans, and children. While the legislation isn’t perfect, we are encouraged to see outdoor access and equity bills, like Outdoors for All, Military Veterans in Parks, and Every Kids Outdoors, included in the package. We hope that elected officials will continue to improve the outdoor recreation package as it moves through Congress.”