Yosemite National Park
Sierra Sun Times file photo
“National parks are part of our American identity. They mean so much to so many people, yet this is clearly not reflected in the House’s bill." - Kristen Brengel, NPCA's SVP of Government Affairs
July 27, 2024 - Washington, DC – On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a fiscal year 2025 spending bill for the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, including the National Park Service. The spending bill cuts $210 million (more than 6%) from the National Park Service’s budget. This reduction would mean thousands fewer park rangers to ensure visitor safety and fewer resources to protect our beloved natural and cultural sites.
The spending bill also includes cuts to the Park Service’s budget for maintenance and repairs (more than a $22 million cut), as well as historic preservation funding ($20 million cut), which are critical to protecting stories and places that tell our nation’s history. Additionally, the bill slashes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s clean air and water programs while undoing investments to help our communities and park landscapes better face climate change and natural disasters.
In addition to drastic budget cuts, a majority of the House supported harmful amendments, including numerous policies that would undermine the Antiquities Act, a bedrock environmental law used to protect some of our most iconic lands and important history. This bill also rolls back protections for national parks and public lands from damaging oil and gas activities, blocking commonsense reforms to ensure fossil fuel companies are held accountable and are paying their fair share.
The National Park Service is only a tiny slice of our federal budget — less than one-fifteenth of one percent — yet delivers significant economic benefits, with $15 in economic activity generated for each dollar invested. While the popularity of national parks has remained steady over the years, staffing levels have not. Parks have fewer staff than they did a decade ago. In fact, park staffing has eroded by 23% since 2010. The National Park Service is already chronically underfunded, and these deep and unrealistic cuts proposed in the House’s Interior appropriations bill would only make matters worse if it were to become law.
Below is a statement by Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
“National parks are part of our American identity. They mean so much to so many people, yet this is clearly not reflected in the House’s bill.
“Funding cuts at this scale would devastate the National Park System at a time when so many parks are understaffed and unable to keep up with overdue maintenance and shortage of employee housing. With the added challenges of managing record visitation and protecting our parks’ cultural and natural resources from increasingly worsening climate change impacts, this bill would significantly hinder the agency rather than address these critical issues. Something must change, and these funding cuts couldn’t be further from the answer.
“As if the funding cuts weren’t damaging enough, this bill also includes egregious policy proposals, such as undermining the Antiquities Act, a bipartisan tool that safeguards the places and stories that reflect our collective heritage. This bill also reverses commonsense reforms to oil and gas development meant to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause to our national parks and communities.
“The Senate must oppose these reckless cuts and harmful policies. For years, NPCA and our members and supporters have fought for more park funding, and we will not stop fighting until our parks get the support they need and deserve. National parks remain one of our country’s most unifying forces. We urge members of Congress to listen to the people they represent and invest more in these places, not less.”
About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.5 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
Source: NPCA
