JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), today introduced the Federal Interior Land Media Act (FILM Act). This legislation will modernize film permitting on public lands to keep pace with changing technology and social media. It will also eliminate burdensome and unnecessary regulations.
“Wyoming is home to some of the most beautiful national parks and public lands in the country. Americans should be able to fully enjoy them and share their experiences,” Barrasso said. “The FILM Act will streamline the permitting process for filming on public lands. It gives outdoorsmen and women the ability to share their adventures without having to deal with burdensome red tape. The FILM Act allows Americans across the nation to experience all that Wyoming has to offer.”
Diane Shober, executive director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism, sees the legislation as a way to protect visitors to Wyoming’s parks who want to video Old Faithful or a wolf pack and later post that to their social sites.
“We live in an age when people from all walks of life can share their adventure stories in a virtual environment. The FILM Act will guarantee that the people who visit Wyoming’s parks and public lands can record and share their stories online and through social media without asking the government for permission. I feel like this is a really good bill and will bring us forward to the 21st century,” Shober said.
The FILM Act will:
- Exempt certain video, digital, and audio recording activities from fees and permitting;
- Address content creation uniformly across all federal lands; and
- Streamline permit processing, when permits are deemed necessary, and coordination as well as identify an agency primary point of contact.
