Department of the Interior Pushes to Increase Access and Recreational Opportunities for Electric Bicycle Use on Public Lands

WASHINGTON (Oct 22, 2019) – Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its guidance to implement Secretary’s Order 3376, Increasing Recreational Opportunities Through the Use of Electric Bikes, which will allow the use of low-speed electric bicycles (e-bikes) at national wildlife refuges and other DOI-managed public lands where traditional biking occurs, expanding recreational opportunities and access to millions of Americans. The National Park Service (NPS) has previously issued guidance to allow for e-bikes to be used on most bike paths in the national parks.

Secretary’s Order 3376, signed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt on August 29, directs DOI bureaus to create a clear and consistent e-bike policy for the lands they manage. The policy also supports Secretary’s Order 3366 to increase recreational opportunities on public lands.

Signatories to Confluence Accords Reach a Historic 13

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) – the nation’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations with 29 members serving more than 100,000 businesses – joined outdoor recreation leaders from Maine, Michigan,Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia as they committed to advance the principles contained in the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence Accords on behalf of their governors. ORR is a founding sponsor of the National Governors Association (NGA) Outdoor Recreation Learning Network. Today’s signing ceremony brings the total number of states committed to the four pillars of the accords (conservation and stewardship, education and workforce training, economic development, and public health and wellness) to a historic 13. There are also 16 states with Offices of Outdoor Recreation or task forces created or in development.

WASHINGTON (Oct 15, 2019)–– U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt today released the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Economic Report for Fiscal Year 2018. The report highlights Interior activities covering conventional and renewable energy, recreation, non-fuel minerals, irrigation, and conservation that resulted in $315 billion in economic output and supported 1.8 million jobs during the year – up from $254 billion in economic output and 1.6 million jobs in 2016.