The bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, a broad package of recreation-oriented bills, overwhelmingly passed the US House of Representatives today with bipartisan support. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Coalition applauds the bill, its bipartisan champions and the fact it includes a key Coalition priority, the Outdoors for All Act. That provision within EXPLORE will give Americans without adequate park access, particularly those living in low-income areas, greater opportunities to experience green spaces and public lands.

Lesley Kane Szynal, Chair of the LWCF Coalition, again thanked EXPLORE’s lead sponsors, House Natural Resource Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4) and Ranking Member Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-3) as well as Representatives Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44) and Mike Turner (R-OH-10) who introduced the standalone Outdoors for All Act in February 2023. “We celebrate the bipartisan passage of the EXPLORE Act through the U.S. House of Representatives, which included the Outdoors for All Act. The Outdoors for All Act codifies the LWCF-funded Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program and makes Tribes directly eligible to receive program dollars. ORLP assists communities without access to local parks by providing funds to support park acquisition and development.

Moreover, the EXPLORE Act will help ensure that all Americans, especially those from indigenous communities, have expanded opportunities to access conservation funding and enjoy parks and outdoor recreational areas. We commend the committee's leadership and members of both parties who understand and support the necessity of inclusive access to local parks."

About the Land and Water Conservation Fund

LWCF is America’s most important conservation program, responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges and recreation areas at the federal, state and local level. For over half a century, it has provided critical funding for land and water conservation projects, recreational construction and activities and the continued historic preservation of our nation’s iconic landmarks from coast-to-coast. LWCF does not use any taxpayer dollars – it is funded using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. Outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation activities contribute more than $778 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 5.2 million jobs.

About the LWCF Coalition

The LWCF Coalition is the umbrella group of more than 1,000 state and local landowners, small businesses, ranchers, sportsmen, veterans, outdoor recreationists and conservation organizations working to protect America’s public lands and safeguard our shared outdoor heritage for future generations. For more information on LWCF and the places in each state that have been protected using LWCF funds, visit LWCFCoalition.org.