Environmental Justice in Recreation Permitting Act

Environmental Justice in Recreation Permitting Act

This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the use of special recreation permits by recreation service providers serving environmental justice communities.

The bill defines an environmental justice community as a community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, or tribal and indigenous communities, that experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or environmental effects than other communities.

Interior and USDA shall

• contact all existing or prospective recreation service providers to request a voluntary estimate of the number of user days used by, or, in the case of a prospective recreation service provider, expected to be used by, individuals from environmental justice communities during the period covered by the report;
• request from recreation service providers and interested members of the public any other information required for the report; and
• not use the participation of, or the provision of information to the Secretaries by, a recreation service provider under this subsection as a condition of a special recreation permit.