Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, urged lawmakers on Capitol Hill to consider the negative effects a government shutdown would have on the outdoor recreation industry in an editorial printed yesterday in the DC Journal.
The deadline to avert a shutdown is midnight Wednesday, and the parties do not appear anywhere close to a deal, according to news reports as of this writing.
“I implore our lawmakers on Capitol Hill to consider the consequences of a government shutdown on the thriving $862 billion outdoor recreation economy and the 4.5 million Americans who rely on it for their livelihoods,” Wahl Turner wrote. “As we saw during the last shutdown, the damages from government closures are real – to our outdoor recreation economy, public lands and waters, the dedicated staff who manage these unique places, the visitors who cherish them, and the local communities, businesses, and employees who rely on them. In a time when companies are working diligently to recover from the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, a government shutdown would disrupt the amazing progress made by this sector.”
Wahl Turner noted that the shutdown could lead to economic setbacks in rural and gateway communities; the closing of cherished outdoor destinations; and the deterioration of key outdoor infrastructure if it does not receive the support of federal employees or appropriations, among other negative impacts.
Click here to read the full column.