Public Lands

America’s public lands are a defining feature of our national identity. Roughly 840 million acres, about one-third of all land in the United States, are federally managed for the benefit and use of the public. These include iconic landscapes like Arches National Park, Great Smoky Mountains, and millions of acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands. These lands support recreation, grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, cultural heritage, and local economies. 

As a passionate group of outdoor recreation advocates and industry leaders, we believe public lands must remain in public hands. In recent years, we’ve seen legislative efforts that would weaken long-standing protections, risk privatization, or alter how public lands are accessed and managed. 

OIA is advocating for: 

• Preventing a mass sell-off or transfer of public lands to non-federal entities

• Securing robust funding for maintenance and the workforce that stewards these lands

• Protecting long-term public access and multiple-use management practices that balance recreation, conservation, and local economic benefit

• Protecting and conserving more public land through tools such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), land trust acquisitions, and federal land buybacks

H.R. 718 Public Lands in Public Hands Act 

Sponsors: Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM)  

Goal: To prevent the federal government from selling or transferring access to certain public lands to non-federal entities. 

What the Bill Does: This bill would prohibit the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from transferring ownership of certain public lands to private entities or non-federal governments – specifically, those that are currently accessible to the public or adjacent to publicly accessible areas. 

Key Provisions 

• No transfers of:

• Lands that are open to the public via roads, trails, waterways, easements, or rights-of-way.

• Lands adjacent to other public lands or local government-owned lands that are publicly accessible.

• Exceptions (transfers allowed only when):

• The land is small (less than 300 acres, or less than 5 acres if accessible by water).

• The transfer is already allowed under existing laws, including Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (1998), Recreation and Public Purposes Act, and others.

Why This Bill Matters: 

• Protects Access to the Outdoors. Ensures that hikers, bikers, anglers, and all recreationists continue to enjoy public lands that might otherwise be lost to private development.

• Prevents Backdoor Land Sales. Adds guardrails to keep federal lands from being transferred without transparency, public input, or clear congressional authorization.

• Broad, Bipartisan Support. Demonstrates a shared priority across party lines to keep America’s public lands in public hands.

OIA Ask: Cosponsor H.R. 718 and the forthcoming Senate companion bill to keep public lands in the public’s hands. 

National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund 

In 2020, during the previous Trump Administration, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act with broad bipartisan support. One of its cornerstone provisions was the creation of the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), which provided significant investments in America’s public lands infrastructure. 

The LRF authorizes up to $1.9 billion per year for five years (FY2021–FY2025) to address long-deferred maintenance needs across federal land management agencies, including: 

• National Park Service (NPS)

• S. Forest Service (USFS)

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

• Bureau of Indian Education

What does the LRF do? The Legacy Restoration Fund has allowed agencies to address long-neglected infrastructure projects that would otherwise be unaffordable under standard appropriations. These include: 

• Crumbling roads and bridges

• Failing water and wastewater systems

• Unsafe buildings and visitor facilities

• Inaccessible or degraded trails and campgrounds

• Aging utility and communications infrastructure

These upgrades are critical for ensuring public safety, enhancing recreation experiences, and supporting local economies. 

The Legacy Restoration Fund expires on September 30. Without congressional reauthorization, agencies will lose one of the most impactful tools in decades for addressing the $22+ billion deferred maintenance backlog across public lands. 

• Many large-scale projects are multi-year efforts. Losing funding now would leave them incomplete, scaled back, or scrapped entirely. 

• Infrastructure improvements support construction jobs, local tourism, and the broader $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy.

• Deteriorating infrastructure puts park users and employees at risk and reduces access for millions of Americans.

OIA Ask: We urge Congress to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund beyond FY2025 to continue addressing urgent maintenance needs and protecting the outdoor assets that Americans depend on. 

Protecting the Federal Workforce  

America’s public lands, including national parks, forests, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, are facing a critical challenge: declining federal staffing levels due to cuts made by the Trump administration. Recent workforce reductions at the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior threaten the safety, accessibility, and long-term sustainability of our public lands. These cuts come at a time when visitation is at an all-time high, and resource needs are increasing. 

The U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior are already operating with historically low staff-to-visitor ratios. Park rangers, trail crews, emergency responders, and visitor services professionals are the frontline stewards of our public lands. They are responsible for: 

• Maintaining trails, restrooms, roads, and campgrounds

• Responding to search-and-rescue incidents and wildfires

• Educating and engaging the public

• Protecting cultural and natural resources

• Ensuring safe, welcoming experiences for all visitors

With fewer staff, critical services will be delayed or eliminated altogether. Visitors will face longer emergency response times and poorly maintained facilities, like bathrooms and trailheads. Local economies that depend on recreation and tourism will also suffer when parks and forests cannot operate at full capacity. 

OIA Ask: We stand with federal land management professionals and urges Congress and the administration to: 

• Reverse staffing reductions at the Forest Service and Department of the Interior

• Prioritize funding for workforce recruitment, training, and retention

• Modernize staffing models to meet current visitation and maintenance demands

• Ensure staffing levels reflect the full scale of agency missions, from conservation to recreation

Reconciliation

What is the budget reconciliation process? 

Budget reconciliation is a special legislative process that allows Congress to advance budget-related legislation on a simple majority vote in the Senate, bypassing the 60-vote filibuster threshold. It is limited to policies that directly impact federal spending, revenues, or the debt limit. 

Reconciliation is often used for major budget and tax legislation and has been a critical tool for both parties to enact significant policy priorities like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act. 

How does the reconciliation process work? 

• Budget Resolution Adoption. The House and Senate must agree on a single budget resolution that includes reconciliation instructions.

• Committee Instructions. Specific committees are directed to achieve certain budgetary targets (e.g., reduce or increase the deficit by set amounts).

• Drafting Legislation. Committees draft legislation aligned with their instructions and submit it to the Budget Committee.

• Packaging and Consideration. The Budget Committees compile the submissions into one omnibus reconciliation bill.

• Passage and Enactment. The bill is then passed by both chambers in identical form and sent to the President.

Where are we in 2025 with the reconciliation process? 

• On February 21, 2025, the Senate passed Con.Res. 7 (FY2025 budget resolution).

• On February 25, 2025, the House passed a different version, Con.Res. 14.

• No reconciliation process can begin until both chambers agree on the same budget resolution text.

Key Differences: 

• Senate Version: Focused narrowly on border security, defense spending, and energy production. Limited committee involvement and deficit impact.

• House Version: Much broader, covering tax reform, border, debt limit, and more, with significant deficit increases and decreases across committees.

Unless the chambers reconcile their differences and adopt a unified resolution, reconciliation will not proceed. 

Why does reconciliation matter this year?  

The current reconciliation discussions pose serious risks to public lands and the outdoor recreation economy. These provisions may be advanced under the guise of deficit reduction or energy independence within the reconciliation framework. 

Potential harmful provisions: 

• Public Land Sell-Offs. Proposals to dispose of or privatize federal lands as a revenue-raising mechanism.

• Expanded Oil & Gas Leasing. Accelerated leasing on public lands with limited safeguards or public engagement.

• Critical Mineral Extraction. Streamlining permitting and expanding mining on federal lands with little oversight.

OIA Ask: We urge Congress to: 

• Reject any reconciliation provisions that compromise the integrity or public ownership of federal lands.

• Ensure reconciliation is not used to bypass public input and environmental safeguards on resource extraction.

• Include investments in the federal workforce to meet growing recreation and resource management needs on public lands.

Trade and Tariffs

The outdoor industry relies on global supply chains to produce high-quality, technically advanced gear that withstands the elements. These supply chains are carefully developed over several years and depend on materials, skills, and infrastructure not always available domestically. Outdoor products are not interchangeable with everyday consumer goods—production cycles often span 12–24 months, and changing suppliers requires significant lead time, planning, and capital. 

In recent years, the outdoor industry has been hit hard by unpredictable trade policies, including punitive tariffs and the lapse of longstanding duty-saving programs. These pressures hurt businesses, stifle innovation, and drive up prices for American consumers. 

The impact of tariffs:

Outdoor gear, such as backpacks, hiking boots, and technical apparel, is subject to some of the highest tariffs in the U.S. tariff schedule. These “peak tariffs” penalize companies for importing products not made in the U.S. and lead to higher costs for consumers. 

Many of these products are further impacted by Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, which add an additional 25% on top of base duty rates. Since the lapse of key trade programs, like the Generalized System of Preferences, outdoor companies have paid over $2 billion in extra tariffs—costs that often cannot be absorbed or passed on without harm to business operations. 

The tariffs imposed on imports to the U.S. under the Trump Administration have created significant challenges for businesses nationwide, especially small businesses, such as independent gear manufacturers in the outdoor industry. The resulting uncertainty and volatility have placed undue strain on outdoor brands already navigating complex global supply chains. If left unaddressed, these trade pressures risk triggering serious disruptions in production, limiting consumer choice, and constraining the availability of affordable outdoor products. Over time, this instability could jeopardize the survival of many small businesses that form the foundation of the outdoor recreation economy. 

Trade Policy Priorities

Retroactively Renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): GSP allows outdoor companies to source from developing countries instead of China by eliminating tariffs on products not made in the U.S. GSP expired in 2020. Since then, companies have paid $2 billion in unnecessary duties. Congress must: 

• Retroactively renew GSP

• Update outdated Competitive Needs Limit (CNL) thresholds

Revive Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs): MTBs suspend tariffs on narrowly defined goods that are not produced domestically, as verified by the U.S. International Trade Commission. Reinstating MTBs: 

• Reduces production costs

• Enables reinvestment in U.S. jobs, product innovation, and sustainability

Fix De Minimis and Support U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs): Foreign shippers currently exploit the de minimis loophole, bypassing U.S. trade, labor, and health regulations. Congress should: 

• Eliminate de minimis entry for all countries (not just China), or

• At minimum, allow U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) to benefit from de minimis rules equally

Support the Americas Act: OIA supports this forward-looking legislation, which: 

• Encourages production nearshore in the Western Hemisphere

• Incentivizes circular economy practices (repair, reuse, and recycle)

OIA Ask: We urge Congress to: 

• Put pressure on the Trump Administration to ensure that any future tariff actions are measured, transparent, and do not disproportionately harm U.S. small businesses and consumers.

• Retroactively renew GSP and update CNL thresholds

• Revive Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs)

• Reform de minimis rules and empower U.S. FTZs

• Advance the Americas Act and strengthen Western Hemisphere supply chains