El Capitan in Yosemite National Park
Sierra Sun Times file photo

March 11, 2017 - With the release of the GOP Interior Department 2018 Budget Chairman Rob Bishop offers a view of the National Park Service (NPS).
 
On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Committee viewed the Centennial as a unique opportunity to work with NPS to reevaluate its spending priorities and commit to finding areas of waste within their budget. Despite passage of the National Park Service Centennial Act (P.L. 114-289), the Committee continues to be concerned that NPS could divert funds away from the critical needs of the existing majestic and historic park units and into projects that do not further the NPS’ central mission of serving visitors and preserving these parks for future generations to enjoy. The Centennial Challenge Fund formally established at the Treasury through the passage of the NPS Centennial Act will help to attract private donations for important deferred maintenance projects. Although the fund will receive several million dollars in revenue from the increase in the price of the America the Beautiful senior pass, supplemental discretionary funding that will be matched on a $1:$1 federal to private basis would be valuable.

Deferred Maintenance Backlog
NPS estimates its deferred maintenance backlog sits at nearly $12 billion. After years of expanding budgets and $750 million in supplemental funding from the 2008 stimulus, NPS has little to show in terms of increased public use and enjoyment of parks or reduction in the maintenance backlog. The Committee notes that the operations (ONPS) portion of the NPS budget continues to increase, while the construction portion of the budget (tied to the reduction of the deferred maintenance backlog) has decreased. This leads us to conclude that complaints of inadequate park funding may have more to do with management priorities than actual funding levels.

Land Acquisition
With our national debt exceeding $19 trillion, the NPS facing a deferred maintenance backlog of $12 billion and increasing catastrophic wildfires costing billions of dollars on existing federally-owned lands, the Committee does not support acquiring additional lands until basic responsibilities are met on the 80 million acres managed by the NPS. These funds would be better directed toward maintenance projects addressing aging and neglected infrastructure. Additionally, President Obama’s unilateral creation of new park units has only put us further behind in the effort to adequately maintain the system. After President Obama’s unprecedented abuse of the Antiquities Act, the Committee will work with the Trump Administration to identify previously declared monuments that are suitable to be rescinded or diminished in size.
Source: GOP Interior Department 2018 Budget