The National Park Service, which has struggled to fully staff the National Park System and cope with climate change, would benefit from passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 by Congress. As drafted in the Senate, the measure would provide nearly $1 billion for the Park Service to use in adding staff and adapting the park system for the changing climate.

“The recent flooding at Yellowstone and fires at Yosemite are prime examples of the devastation that comes with the climate crisis, and the urgent need for climate legislation for our national parks and communities," said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. "This historic investment will ensure our parks have more resources and staff necessary to safeguard our parks from increasingly severe floods, fires, drought and other extreme weather. By addressing these staffing and infrastructure needs while boosting renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions, this bill will help protect our parks for future generations."

In its current form the legislation, which could come up for a Senate vote as soon as next week, provides $370 billion in tax credits and other funding for clean energy, agriculture and forestry, environmental justice, and many other provisions to create a more sustainable future. 

NPCA staff pointed out that the measure calls for:

• Creating jobs that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions driving fires, floods and storms and helping parks and communities adapt to the changing climate.
• Investing in clean buildings, electric vehicles and renewable energy.
• Necessary oil and gas reforms including increasing royalty rates and bonding requirements on public lands, as well as protections from methane pollution.
• Preparing the nation to handle the heavier rains, hotter temperatures, stronger and more frequent storms, and higher sea levels associated with climate change.

“Climate change is happening right before our eyes and the effects are only becoming more frequent and severe," said Pierno on Thursday. "We’ve witnessed a historic drought shrivel Lake Mead to just 30 percent of its capacity. Last month, we watched unprecedented floods destroy roads and wash away houses in Yellowstone and inundate buildings and campsites in Voyageurs. And most recently, we saw another deadly wildfire threaten Yosemite and its ancient sequoia trees. This is an alarming trend, and our national parks are at the forefront."

Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society, said the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 represents a critical step forward and is one of the most significant pieces of climate legislation to ever come before Congress."

“The critical progress represented in this legislation does not negate the fact that there is still much more work to do to truly achieve our climate goals in a just and equitable manner,” said Johnson. “We will continue to work with changemakers at all levels of government and community engagement to realize those goals, and to ensure the reforms implemented in this and related legislation are done in an equitable way. In the meantime, we urge Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible to re-establish momentum in responding and adapting to our changing climate.”

Passage by the Senate would send the legislation to the House, which would take it up after the August recess. 

Extreme weather events are happening across the country. Beyond the flooding at Yellowstone and Voyageurs and the wildfires involving Yosemite, heavy rains have caused flooding at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, while a long-running drought has greatly lowered Lakes Powell and Mead in the Southwest. 

“And it’s not just our national parks," Pierno pointed out. "Adjacent communities, especially our most vulnerable and overburdened populations, are being devastated by the effects of climate change, taking months and sometimes years to recover and rebuild. This legislation will help parks and surrounding communities become more resilient and better protected from the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change."