President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday aimed at expanding public access to federal land and water for hunting, fishing and boating, then hosted a Rose Garden dinner attended by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and more than 100 hunters, anglers and outdoor-industry leaders.
The first order, titled “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage,” builds on an Interior Department action from August that opened more than 92 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge System land to hunting. Interior says the rule expanded hunting access to nearly 95 percent of refuge acreage and created 1,488 new species-and-location hunting opportunities, including hunting for the first time at 14 refuges.
Speaking to guests at the dinner, Trump said the order was “opening up millions of acres of federal land for our hunters and fishers.”
The second order, “President Donald J. Trump Restores American Saltwater Angling and Recreation,” directs the Departments of Commerce, Interior and Agriculture, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, to review and roll back restrictions affecting boaters and saltwater anglers. According to the order, agencies are to move toward multi-year permitting for charter boat operators, expanded fishing seasons, and broader access to fisheries.
At the dinner, Trump specifically criticized a Biden-era boating speed restriction, saying, “The Biden administration tried to bludgeon the boating and maritime industry with a ridiculous boating speed limit of no more than 10 miles per hour.” He added that boaters “can now once again enjoy the open ocean,” and joked that people could go “slightly faster than 10 miles an hour, like 120 miles an hour if you’re crazy. But you can go as fast as you want.”
The orders mark a shift from Biden administration policies that had placed limits on hunting, fishing and boating access, some tied to environmental and speed-restriction rules. The new orders direct federal agencies to identify and remove regulatory barriers to outdoor recreation on public lands and waters across the country.
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