16 U.S.C. § 8441 — Gateway communities

(a) Assessing needs. The Secretaries (the federal officials in charge of the relevant lands) must work with state and local governments, Indian Tribes, housing authorities, trade associations, nonprofits, private companies, and other stakeholders to figure out the needs and economic effects in "gateway communities" — the towns near federal recreational lands and waters. They must look at: housing shortages; strain on existing local infrastructure; how to handle growing visitor numbers responsibly; and how to grow and diversify visitor experiences, either by boosting use of existing, underused developed spots on nearby federal land that the Secretaries identify as good candidates for more development, or by boosting use of existing, lesser-known recreation spots on nearby state or local land. The Secretaries may respond to a need they identify by giving financial or technical help to a gateway community through an existing program, by entering into an agreement, right-of-way, or easement allowed by law, or by issuing a special use permit (but not a special recreation permit as defined in section 6801 of this title) allowed by law. (b) Helping local businesses. The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, must work with the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce to help businesses in gateway communities — such as hotels, campgrounds, and restaurants — build, run, or grow infrastructure that can handle visitors responsibly. The Secretary of Agriculture can provide this help using existing or new entrepreneur and job-training programs, technical assistance programs, low-interest business loans, and loan guarantee programs. (c) Partnerships. In carrying out this section, the Secretaries may enter into public-private partnerships, cooperative agreements, memorandums of understanding, or similar agreements with a gateway community or a business located there, as allowed by law.