In April 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized its Public Lands Rule. The BLM manages 245 million acres of public lands. Prior to this announcement, only 15% of BLM lands had permanent protections from development and other detrimental uses. The new rule prioritizes access to outdoor recreation, improving user experience across our public lands, growing the outdoor industry, strengthening recreation-based economies, and responsible energy development across the western United States.
Outdoor recreation generates $1.1 trillion in economic output per year and creates 5 million jobs across the United States. This rule, which will put conservation and recreation on a level playing field with other uses, will bring critical economic benefits through local recreation and tourism for rural and gateway communities situated near BLM lands and waters.
Ensuring that the Public Lands Rule prioritized conservation and recreation has been a priority campaign for TCA. In partnership with its member companies and grantee partners, TCA provided the BLM substantial feedback on the draft rule and submitted a letter to the BLM signed by over 100 companies last year. The letter and list of supporting companies can be found here. TCA and its member companies also held meetings with administrative officials and ran paid print and digital ads to further communicate the business community’s feedback on the draft rule. TCA is proud to have supported grantee partners, Conservation Lands Foundation and Outdoor Alliance for their efforts on getting the rule finalized. Read the full press release here.
