I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3687 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2021 

Ms. TLAIB introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Environmental Justice 

5 in Recreation Permitting Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY REPORT ON THE BENEFITS OF SPE2 CIAL RECREATION PERMITS TO ENVIRON3 MENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 

6 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 

7 a community with significant representation of com8 munities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal 

9 and indigenous communities, that experiences, or is 

10 at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse 

11 human health or environmental effects than other 

12 communities. 

13 (2) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY; 

14 FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND WATERS; SEC15 RETARIES.—The terms ‘‘Federal land management 

16 agency’’, ‘‘Federal recreational lands and waters’’, 

17 and ‘‘Secretaries’’ have the meanings given the 

18 terms in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recre19 ation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801). 

20 (3) RECREATION SERVICE PROVIDER.—The 

21 term ‘‘recreation service provider’’ means an indi22 vidual or entity that— 

23 (A) provides outfitting, guiding, or other 

24 recreation services; or 

25 (B) conducts recreational or competitive 

26 events, including incidental sales. 


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1 (4) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT.—The term 

2 ‘‘special recreation permit’’ means a permit issued 

3 by a Federal land management agency for special4 ized individual or group uses of Federal recreational 

5 lands and waters, including— 

6 (A) for outfitting, guiding, or other recre7 ation services; 

8 (B) for recreation or competitive events, 

9 which may include incidental sales; 

10 (C) for the use of— 

11 (i) a special area; or 

12 (ii) an area in which use is allocated; 

13 (D) for motorized recreational vehicle use 

14 in compliance with an applicable travel manage15 ment plan or other regulation; and 

16 (E) for a group activity or event. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

18 of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to 

19 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

20 Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

21 House of Representatives a report that describes— 

22 (1) the estimated use of special recreation per23 mits by recreation service providers serving environ24 mental justice communities; 


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1 (2) any national, regional, State, local, or site2 specific policies, including any policies required 

3 under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

4 Act (16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.), that facilitate public 

5 land access for recreation service providers serving 

6 environmental justice communities; 

7 (3) any case studies that may provide illus8 trative examples of the manner in which special 

9 recreation permits, partnerships, or cooperative 

10 agreements are being effectively used by land man11 agers for the purpose of providing public land access 

12 to recreation service providers serving environmental 

13 justice communities; 

14 (4) any barriers to public land access for recre15 ation service providers serving environmental justice 

16 communities; and 

17 (5) any recommendations for agency policy, or 

18 if necessary, action by Congress, to encourage and 

19 simplify public land access for recreation service pro20 viders serving environmental justice communities. 

21 (c) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION BY RECREATION

22 SERVICE PROVIDERS.—For purposes of preparing the re23 port under subsection (b), the Secretaries— 

24 (1) shall contact all existing or prospective 

25 recreation service providers to request a voluntary 


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1 estimate of the number of user days used by or, in 

2 the case of a prospective recreation service provider, 

3 expected to be used by, individuals from environ4 mental justice communities during the period cov5 ered by the report; 

6 (2) shall request from recreation service pro7 viders and interested members of the public any 

8 other information required for the report; and 

9 (3) shall not use the participation of, or the 

10 provision of information to the Secretaries by, a 

11 recreation service provider under this subsection as 

12 a condition of a special recreation permit. 

Æ 


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