skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

CA Outdoor Recreation Worth $54 Billion Per Year: Federal Data

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 23, 2022   

Correction: The PUBLIC Lands Act is separate from the America Outdoor Recreation Act. (November 24, 2022 10:30am MST)


California is number one in the country for dollars spent on camping, hiking, climbing, and biking, according to the latest federal data.

The most recent report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis also names boating and RV trips as the state's most lucrative outdoor sector.

Katie Hawkins, California program manager for the nonprofit Outdoor Alliance, said outdoor recreation added $862 billion to the national economy in 2021.

"Outdoor recreation is 1.6% of the state's GDP," Hawkins reported. "It employs around 517,000 people, and accounts for $54 billion in spending."

Advocates are asking Congress to pass America's Outdoor Recreation Act, and the PUBLIC Lands Act. The latter would add wilderness protection to more than 600,000 acres of land and protect more than 580 miles of rivers in the Northwest part of the state, the central coast, and in Southern California.

Opponents say current protections are sufficient and warn additional regulations could stifle economic activity in mining, logging, and oil and gas.

Hawkins countered the bills would help California reach its goal of protecting 30% of the land and water by the year 2030, which would help with the fight against global warming and sea level rise, because undisturbed land sequesters carbon.

"Here in California, we have seen firsthand the profound effects of climate change with the increasingly severe wildfire seasons, drought, and heat waves," Hawkins observed.

Conservation groups are pressing lawmakers to bring the bills up for a vote during the lame-duck session, before the end of the year.


Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021