Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 27

ery. The latest numbers from the
Bureau of Economic Analysis
showed the outdoor recreation
economy stands at $788 billion.
It supports 5.2 million jobs. It
counts for 2.1% of GDP. So, in
the midst of this pandemic and
the impact that it's had on our
businesses, the outdoor recreation economy remains vibrant
and strong.
Does it help that Biden was
part of the Obama administration, which was very prooutdoor industry?
I'm confident based on the relationships we had with the Obama
administration and with Interior
Secretary Jewell and with what
Biden has laid out in his platform-on climate, on public
lands and waters, and even on
trade-that we'll have plenty
of opportunities to build on the
work that we did with the Obama
administration.

Presidentelect Joseph
R. Biden

Biden Days Ahead
OIA Director of Government Affairs Rich Harper talks about how the
new administration will help the outdoor industry and public lands (and
the importance of working across the aisle). by Doug Schnitzspahn

John Berry

PRESIDENT-ELECTBIDEN HAS
made clear that climate change is
an important issue his administration plans to address. He
is also a friend of public lands.
That adds up to some good
news when it comes to policy
that will affect the outdoors and
conservation over the next four
years. We talked to Outdoor
Industry Association Director of
Government Affairs Rich Harper
to learn more about what the industry has to look forward to.
What should the outdoor industry expect from the Biden
administration?
We will certainly have a partner
on a lot of our key issues. With
the Biden administration, we're
going to be active on climate
change and providing a business

voice on the effort to combat climate change. We will be able to
better preserve our public lands
and really make them the cornerstone of economic recovery.
Controlling the pandemic and
helping stimulate the economy
are at the top of Biden's list. And
we believe that our public lands
and waters can be a key part of
that. On the trade front, we're
looking for a more stable, predictable environment for our
businesses. We've been dealing
with trade wars and punitive tariffs, and while a Biden administration is going to look very
closely at domestic priorities, at
least initially, I think we'll have a
more stable, predictable environment for our businesses. I think
we also have the opportunity to
work across the aisle as we dem-

onstrated with the success of the
Great American Outdoors Act
(GAO). We want to be working
with the next administration and
Congress to make sure that GAO
is implemented.
Are there any specific places
where you see the outdoor industry working with the Biden
administration?
I think we can work with him on
making investments in green
infrastructure. I think we can
work with him on close-to-home
recreation. I think we'll have the
opportunity to work with him on
making sure that the outdoors
are open to all Americans. We
want to ensure there's diversity.
And I think we can ensure that
the outdoor recreation economy
is a core part the economic recov-

Will the political divide in
Washington stand in the way of
progress with issues important
to the outdoor industry?
Look at the hyperpartisan environment we're in, obviously
post-election, but even over the
past several years. In the midst
of all of that, we were able to get
GAO through and signed into
law. So that's what you really have
to hang on to and be mindful
of. We can do this. More importantly, elected representatives on
both sides recognize the political power of the outdoors. They
believe in the outdoors, but they
also recognize that it's a vote winner. We have an administration
with which we can partner and
work. And so I'm excited about
the future. O.R.

December 2020 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 27
https://outdoorindustry.org/
Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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