"One of the key arguments against public land protection is that America needs extractive industries to boost the economy.
But 90 percent of BLM land is already eligible for energy development, mining, and drilling.
That logic suffered another blow last year when Congress, as part of the Outdoor REC Act, recognized the contributions of the outdoor industry to the gross domestic product for the first time
($887 billion in 2016, according to the Outdoor Industry Association—
far outpacing mining’s $261 billion contribution)."
