# Plain Language Summary: Special Recreation Permits and Environmental Justice Report

This bill asks two federal agencies—the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture—to study how special recreation permits affect communities that have historically faced environmental injustice. Special recreation permits are basically licenses that the government issues to companies and organizations that want to run commercial activities on public lands, like guided hiking tours, rafting companies, or camping operations. The bill wants to know whether these permits are being distributed fairly and whether they're having positive or negative effects on low-income communities and communities of color that live near or depend on public lands.

The main goal is to get a clear picture of what's actually happening on the ground. Are these recreation permits creating jobs and economic opportunities for disadvantaged communities, or are they being concentrated in wealthier areas? Are local residents being excluded from decision-making about how their nearby public lands are used? The report would examine things like who gets these permits, how much money flows to different communities, and whether the permitting process is transparent and accessible to everyone. This is important because public lands belong to all Americans, but historically, some communities have had less say in how they're managed and have benefited less from economic opportunities they create.

Once the two agencies complete their study and submit the report to Congress, lawmakers will have better information to decide whether changes are needed to make the permitting system fairer. This could eventually lead to new rules ensuring that recreation permits benefit a broader range of communities and that decision-making processes include the voices of people who live in or near these public lands.

A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the effects of special recreation permits on environmental justice communities, and for other purposes.

Cortez Masto, Catherine

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 (1) shall contact all existing or prospective special 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; (2) shall request from recreation service providers and interested members of the public any other information required for the report; and (3) shall not use participation or the provision of information to Interior and USDA by a recreation service provider as a condition of a special recreation permit.