How We Expect the Biden-Harris Administration to Approach the Outdoors
Photo credit: Holly Mandarich
With the news that President-elect Joe Biden will be taking office in January, we thought it would be worth exploring what this means for public lands, what the Biden-Harris administration has promised on outdoor and conservation issues, and where we think the outdoor community can have the biggest effect over the next four years.
President-elect Biden has emphasized that climate action and racial equity are two of his biggest priorities, and we expect these issues to be thematic over the next four years.
Though the outdoor community has gotten some incredible legislation across the finish line over the last four years, including the John D. Dingell, Jr Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 and the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, the Trump administration has also rolled back numerous key regulations that are essential for protecting environmental values, public involvement in decision-making, and the outdoor recreation economy, which is now a bigger part of our nation’s economy than oil and gas.
We anticipate that the Biden administration will work quickly to restore key protections for public lands, focused most closely on climate. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and reversing the unlawful reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are likely to occur as soon as the administration’s first day. Other regulatory fixes, including restoring the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, will take longer and will need the outdoor community’s support.
From their campaign materials, we know that climate action is one of the biggest focuses of the incoming administration. President-elect Biden supports climate protections coupled with infrastructure and jobs investments, has embraced 30x30, plans to achieve ambitious clean energy targets and net-zero emissions, will pursue green energy jobs, and will pay particular attention to protecting communities of color and low-income communities who are seeing some of the greatest effects of climate change. We expect equitable access to the outdoors and outdoor recreation will also be a focus.
Outdoor Alliance and our partners have shared our ideas on recreation and conservation with both campaigns (you can see our one-pager here), and we will share our priorities with the Biden transition team in the coming weeks. At the top of our list is:
Making public lands and waters a part of climate solutions;
Making public lands and waters a cornerstone of economic recovery;
Conserving public lands and waters, and providing recreation opportunities for all Americans;
Protecting core conservation laws and reversing regulatory rollbacks.
Although the balance of power in the Senate is not yet determined, the outdoor community has had success working with both parties, and with a divided Congress. Regardless of who is in charge, when people who love the outdoors show up and advocate for public lands and waters, we have achieved some incredible, resilient policy wins.
Though Biden has vowed to make conservation a priority in his administration, the outdoor community will have a significant amount of work to do to educate the new administration about our community’s priorities. It’s also worth recognizing that President-elect Biden didn’t arrive at his policy positions overnight or by pulling ideas out of thin air. In fact, a strong push from climate activists helped to make the climate policy he ran on in the general election significantly stronger than the positions he initially supported in the primary. Advocacy is still going to matter, and you can help.