Bill Addressing Climate Change and Protecting Rivers Moves to President's Desk

On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the country's largest-ever bill focused on addressing climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, and after passing in the Senate earlier this month, the legislation is headed to the President's desk. The health of, and our ability to enjoy our rivers, have been and stand to be affected significantly by increasing wildfire, drought and rising temperatures. This bill represents a game-changing step towards significantly reducing the impacts of climate change on our fresh water streams and paddling opportunities. 

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act would not have happened without outreach from people like you. Our community leaned on their representatives to not only address climate change, but to utilize the health and composition of our public lands and rivers to improve our nation's climate resiliency. This bill does just that, with significant funding for protecting and restoring forests, and rural and urban wild spaces, concepts that safeguard rivers, fish and wildlife, outdoor recreation areas and other public resources, while also maintaining and supporting local businesses. We all rely on America's healthy forests, watersheds and wetlands to capture and store carbon, ensure clean drinking water and sustain local economies. 

"Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is nothing short of monumental-it's the biggest step on climate we have taken as a nation. It proves that America can address the climate crisis with conviction, and lead as the world expects us to. - Adam Cramer, Outdoor Alliance CEO

Enacting legislation that sees our public lands and waters as a strategic asset in fighting climate change, and putting in motion long-term incentives that encourage innovation and a greater commitment to addressing our changing climate took decades of advocacy by organizations like American Whitewater. Some of us teamed up as members of the Outdoor Alliance coalition in 2005, with one of a few overarching goals being to inspire and push alongside every single one of you to let our representatives and government know that we care about the health of our rivers, our communities, and all the natural resources we rely on. 

This is truly just the beginning. We see a compounding effect as this legislation on paper turns to action, and we believe the will to protect and restore our rivers will grow alongside fresh and novel approaches to increasing our communities climate resiliency. Thank you for demanding Congress and the administration take action. There is always more to do, yet right now we invite our community to celebrate Friday's vote and recognize this a victory! A not perfect, but crucial first act in taking action to strengthen our rivers and communities resilience to a changing climate across the country.