Washington, D.C. – The nation’s leading voice for the national parks, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) today praised the Department of the Interior announcement of the specific job-creating projects that will be completed in national parks, including Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, as a result of the more than $900 million in stimulus funding provided by Congress.
“This important reinvestment in the crumbling infrastructure of our national parks is a step that will create jobs in large and small communities nationwide, and help to restore our nation’s heritage for our children and grandchildren,” said National Parks Conservation Association President Tom Kiernan. “There is much more to do to restore our national parks, but this is progress.”
The Department of the Interior’s list of National Park Service infrastructure projects includes upgrading Ash Mountain's failing water system in Sequoia National Park to meet visitor needs and help with fire suppression, and the installation of renewable energy solar equipment to provide power for Yosemite National Park operations.
“Our three local, world-class national parks are economic engines that provide both tourism dollars and jobs in our local economy,” said Laine Hendricks, the National Parks Conservation Association’s Central Valley Program Manager. “Upgrading the park's water and energy systems is a crucial investment for maintaining Yosemite and Sequoia's economic vitality and protecting the rich natural and cultural heritage of these national treasures.”
In December, the National Parks Conservation Association published Working Assets: Reinvesting in National Parks to Create Jobs and Protect America’s Heritage, a report which called on Congress and the Administration to include national parks in economic recovery legislation and offered examples of ready-to-go, job-creating infrastructure projects in national parks nationwide.
The final bill passed by Congress in February included a measured investment of $900 million which will help reduce the Park Service’s massive, $9-billion backlog of critical maintenance and preservation projects, and address other park infrastructure needs.
Congress directed approximately $750 million toward national park infrastructure projects through the Department of the Interior; approximately $170 million is provided for national park road repair needs through the Department of Transportation.
An economic study commissioned by NPCA found that every federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars economic value to the public.
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