A proposed budget to keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year, which wraps up at the end of September, would bring millions of dollars to the National Park Service if approved by Congress.
The draft $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill released by congressional leaders Wednesday night includes increased funding for national park repairs and wildfire management. It calls for a 9.2 percent increase in the National Park Service Fiscal 2017 budget of $3.2 billion, an increase of roughly $270 million, and includes a $160 million increase to address park system's $11.6 billion repair backlog, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
The omnibus would also create a new funding mechanism for fighting wildfires so the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior will no longer have to repeatedly borrow money from other, non-fire priorities.
At the same time, National Parks Conservation Association staff say that while the bill is largely free of items that would jeopardize national parks’ water, wildlife and landscapes, they've noted a few riders would undermine forest protections.
"The funding bill will provide a major boost for important road, bridge, and trail repair projects and for fixing historic sites-- just as the National Park Service is preparing for another busy summer travel season," said Kristen Brengel, NPCA's vice president for government affairs. "Yellowstone, Gettysburg, San Antonio Missions, Everglades and our entire National Park System need robust funding to provide inspiring experiences for visitors, make overdue repairs, and maintain long-term protections for these important places. This is a necessary investment with broad returns, and we hope this trend continues in next year's bill."
Comments
This sounds hopeful, but I can't help but listen for the other shoe to drop.
Hopefully the bill is vetoed. The bill is a disgrace, an insult to the American people and ball and chain around the necks of our children and grandchildren.
Isn't SOMETHING better than NOTHING?
And, mere hours after threatening a veto, he signs it into effect.
I will not comment on it being overall good or bad until more details are available publicly. If it gives more money to the NPS, that is a good thing.
Yes, nice NPS is getting more money. But, if I had my choice between this bill and one $300 billion less with cuts in the NPS, I would take the latter any day.
But most of the other people on this site are friends of the NPS. Three billion here, three billion there, sooner or later it starts to add up to being real money.
Oh I am friends of the NPS. I am also friends of my grandkids. When this country goes belly up, do you think that will be friendly to the NPS?
I'm not sure the extra millions to the NPS will be the thing that does this country in, more so than a number of things added to get the signature (like a few miles of a physical barrier, just as an example)