President Barack Obama signed legislation on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, authored by U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to require the federal government to measure the impact of outdoor recreation on the economy.

The bipartisan Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2015, introduced in October 2015 by Gardner and Shaheen, will let policy makers and business leaders know how many jobs are created and the amount of consumer spending driven by the outdoor recreation economy.

The House companion bill, H.R. 4665, was introduced by Representatives Don Beyer, D-Va.), Dave Reichert, R-Wash., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. The bill passed unanimously in the House and then the Senate in November.

“Outdoor recreation is a way of life in Colorado and is a major economic driver for many communities across the Centennial state,” said Gardner in a news release. “It’s time the federal government measures outdoor recreation’s economic impact and I’m pleased President Obama has signed this bipartisan legislation into law. Policymakers in Washington will now have a powerful tool at their disposal that will benefit all Americans by highlighting the industry’s economic benefits in Colorado and across the United States.”

Until recently, the federal government did not measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation, despite independent estimates that this sector generates $646 billion in consumer spending each year and supports 6.1 million jobs. In April, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the Federal Recreation Council will work with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis to assess the economic contributions of the outdoor recreation industry.

The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2015 ensures this practice continues in the future by requiring it in statute. The bill also requires the Commerce Department to submit to Congress a comprehensive analysis of the outdoor recreation sector’s contribution to the economy.

“This new law will ensure that outdoor recreation is a permanent part of the U.S. (Gross Domestic Product) and will enable our industry to make the case that preserving public lands and investing in our nation’s recreation infrastructure is a sustainable job creator and economic driver that is a hallmark of American values and ideals,” Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association, said in the news release. “We appreciate the leadership of Congress in choosing to prioritize this bill with bipartisan, unanimous support for its passage during a very limited end of year session.”