President Obama signed the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016 into law, a critical bill that quantifies the true size of the outdoor economy, including recreational boating. Better known as the REC Act, it will instruct the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce (DOC) to assess and analyze the U.S. outdoor recreation economy and its effects on the overall U.S. economy.

The REC Act directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), to “conduct an assessment and analysis of the outdoor recreation economy of the United States.” A temporary pilot program was enacted by the Secretary of the Interior in April, and the passage of the REC Act was needed to make sure that the outdoor economy receives official government recognition for years to come.