The Future of America’s Public Lands and the Outdoor Recreation Economy

A discussion on the implications of the Great American Outdoors Act

Date

July 29, 2020

Time

3:00–4:00 p.m. ET

Participants

Senator Maria Cantwell and Margaret A. Walls

Event Series

RFF Live

Event Details

Congress recently passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA)—a landmark piece of legislation that could be a boon to both conservation and the economy. The GAOA permanently authorizes $900 million per year in spending on conservation efforts and creates a new $9.5-billion fund for deferred maintenance projects in national parks and on other federal lands.

Resources for the Future (RFF) is pleased to have hosted a key cosponsor of the GAOA, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), for a virtual RFF Live event on Wednesday, July 29. This webinar included a conversation on the implications of the bipartisan bill and the future of public lands and the outdoor recreation economy in the United States.

Speakers

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Margaret Walls, Resources for the Future (moderator)
Richard G. Newell, Resources for the Future (introductory remarks)

Event Video

Topics

Public and Private Lands

Participants

Senator Maria Cantwell

(D-WA)

Margaret A. Walls

Senior Fellow

Margaret Walls is a senior fellow at RFF. Her current research focuses on issues related to resilience and adaptation to extreme events, ecosystem services, and conservation, parks and public lands.

Richard G. Newell

President and CEO, Resources for the Future

Dr. Richard G. Newell is the President and CEO of Resources for the Future. From 2009 to 2011, he served as the administrator of the US Energy Information Administration, the agency responsible for official US government energy statistics and analysis.

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