National Park Service's FY22 budget falls short of needs, according to NPCA/Rebecca Latson file

While the Great American Outdoors Act is funding hundreds of millions of dollars worth of much-needed maintenance and construction projects in the National Park System, the National Park Service that manages those projects received an increase in its operations budget of less than 3 percent in the FY22 funding package approved by Congress. 

For the current fiscal year the Park Service operations budget, which funds on-the-ground rangers and other park staff, stands at $2.76 billion, an increase of $78.7 million (2.9 percent) from FY21, said John Garder, the senior director of budget and appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association.

President Biden's FY22 request for the Park Service's operations budget was $2.9 billion (a 10.8 percent increase from FY21), and nearly $3.5 billion (12 percent) overall. The FY22 package passed by Congress saw overall funding for the Park Service rise 4.6 percent over FY21 levels, to $3.26 billion, according to figures Garder provided.

"It was reassuring to see bipartisan agreement and passage of an appropriations bill because a yearlong stopgap measure at flat funding levels would have been damaging on many levels," Garder said in an email. "It's been a really tough year at home and abroad, so we respect the funding environment has been challenging, but while this increase will be helpful, it's disappointing that it wasn't nearly what our community advocated for, what was in the president's budget and the initial House and Senate bills, and what our national parks really need.

"Because parks have gotten so far behind, we'll be urging Congress this year to build on that increase and provide something more robust that can bring thousands of rangers and other staff back to our parks and get them to where they need to be to grapple with current challenges like climate change and skyrocketing visitation," he added.

The omnibus funding bill also provided a nearly 20 percent boost, or $28.8 million increase, in the Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund, $10 million to pay for a voting rights center at the Selma Interpretive Center, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park was provided with legislation that protects that park in New Mexico from oil and gas drilling, Garder pointed out.