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Biden's "Build Back Better" Bill Holds Billions Of Dollars That Could Help Parks

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Published Date

October 31, 2021
National parks would benefit from passage of the Biden administration's "Build Back Better" legislation/NPS

National parks would benefit from passage of the Biden administration's "Build Back Better" legislation/NPS

If President Biden can persuade Congress to pass his "Build Back Better" legislation, the National Park System stands to benefit from billions of dollars tied to conservation work across the country.

From projects intended to make public lands' landscapes more resilient to climate change impacts and ecosystem restoration work to funding for National Park Service employee housing, the $1.75 trillion bill would be a huge boost for the strapped agency.

“National parks and communities are on fire, under water, and inundated by storms. We need climate action now," said Chad Lord, senior director of environmental policy and climate change for the National Parks Conservation Association. "This framework includes historic investments in our clean energy future and climate resilience measures for parks ravaged by flood, fire and drought. It would create jobs and drive investment in communities hit hardest by pollution. Congress must come together to make this framework a reality, helping protect America’s most beloved public lands from irrevocable damage.”

A cursory review of the legislation found the following funding that could benefit the National Park System:

  • Sec. 70701: National parks/BLM: $1.25B to carry out projects for the protection and resiliency of lands and resources on lands administered by the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.
  • Sec. 70702: National Parks/BLM: $750M to carry out ecosystem and habitat restoration projects on lands administered by the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.
  • Sec. 70703: $500m for NPS and BLM corps programs to address restoration and resiliency projects.
  • Sec. 70704: $500m for NPS/BLM wildfire management
  • Sec. 70705: $400m for NPS DM and housing
  • Sec. 70706: $100m for urban parks plus $10m to NPS to administer those funds
  • Sec. 70707: $25m for historic preservation as defined by US Code (doesn’t appear limited to HPF)
  • Sec. 70708: $50m for National Heritage Areas

 

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Comments

Submitted by ecbuck on October 31, 2021 - 7:01pm.

And what does the other 99.999% of build back better go to?


Submitted by howard Miller on November 1, 2021 - 11:03am.

Looks good on paper.  But the current Secretary of Interior is impllementing a program to stop the acquisition of land (with improvements) in the National Park Service.  This means if a the Park Service wanted to acxquired a 100 acres of scenic woodland tract of land, but there was a farm house on the land, NPS could not acquire the tractd unless the landowner agrees to remove his house before he/she could sell his land to the Park Service.    The landowner would not be compensated for removing the house.   For acquisition of Congressional authorized historical properties like lighthouses the Park Service would need to have in place funds to manage the lighthouse or would need to have funds to remove the lighthouse.  


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