INVEST in America Act Support from CRT

The Coalition for Recreational Trails strongly supports provisions of the INVEST in America Act addressing the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).

The nation’s recreational trails community is pleased to support provisions of the INVEST in America Act which increase the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).You will see that dozens of leading national trails organizations signed this letter.

RTP has been the key to better and safer trails across the nation. More than 25,000 projects aiding every type of trail activity have been completed since RTP was created in 1991. For details on these successes and other important information, go to: https://www.americantrails.org/crt/rtp-advocacy-materials

We thank you for recognizing the value RTP brings to America’s communities and expanding its capacity and reach. Created in 1991, RTP has yielded important successes across our nation for tens of millions who utilize trails in urban, suburban and rural areas for health, adventure, learning and access to special places including parks, lakes, mountains and more. All trail interests benefit, from hiking to biking, snowmobiling to cross country skiing, from OHV use to equestrians and more.

The RTP provisions of INVEST embrace the spirit of HR 5797, which the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) strongly supports. HR 5797’s sponsors proposed to increase funding for the RTP after more than a decade of flat funding while demand for trails increased and with new documentation by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the economic importance of outdoor recreation: $778 billion in annual gross economic output and 2.2% of the nation’s GDP. RTP relies on partnerships which leverage federal gas tax with state and local funds and volunteerism by the trails community to produce successful projects.

We support the funding provisions for RTP included in the INVEST bill and thank you for considering our views.