Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act

Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act

This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to carry out activities to enhance recreational opportunities for gateway communities and provides for the establishment of a digital National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.

Gateway community means a community that serves as an entry point or is adjacent to a recreation destination at which there is consistently high seasonal or year-round visitation.

Specifically, Interior and the Forest Service must collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify needs and economic impacts in gateway communities, including

• housing shortages,
• demands on existing municipal infrastructure,
• accommodation and management of sustainable visitation, and
• the expansion and diversification of visitor experiences by bolstering visitation at certain nearby underutilized locations or lesser-known recreation sites.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service shall provide to businesses in gateway communities assistance to establish, operate, or expand infrastructure to accommodate and manage sustainable visitation.

Before taking action that will reduce access to a national park (excluding actions due to incident specific events that present a health and safety risk), the office of the superintendent of the affected park must conduct public meetings, consult local stakeholders, and provide an opportunity for public comments.

Interior and the Forest Service must (1) establish a single visitation data reporting system to report accurate annual visitation data, and (2) carry out a Real-time Data Pilot Program.