National Parks, Other Federal Lands Can Benefit From Economic Recovery Funds, Experts Say
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PRESS RELEASE
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | |
| Date: | January 14, 2009 |
| Contact: | Andrea Keller Helsel, National Parks Conservation Association, P: 202.454.3332 |
National Parks, Other Federal Lands Can Benefit From Economic Recovery Funds, Experts Say
Groups Say National Heritage Would be Protected, Communities Would See Economic Benefits
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a press conference today, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading voice for the national parks, encouraged Congress and the incoming Obama Administration to include national parks in economic recovery legislation to create jobs and economic benefit for local communities and restore our national treasures.
“NPCA is calling for a significant initial investment of more than $2.5 billion over an 18-month-to-2-year timeframe. Those investments, because of the location of parks all over the country in rural areas, urban areas… touch many, many different communities around the nation in a very effective and targeted way,” said NPCA Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Craig Obey.
According to NPCA’s new report, Working Assets: Reinvesting in National Parks to Create Jobs and Protect America’s Heritage, the National Park Service could benefit from an investment exceeding $2.5 billion, including well over $1 billion worth of potential investments in ready-to-go projects this year in national parks including Acadia, Glacier, Death Valley, and the Grand Canyon.
In total, these investments would create economic activity, including upwards of 57,000 jobs, and address critical park needs in time for the National Park Service’s 2016 centennial. A recent 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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Information about how economic recovery funding would benefit other public lands can be found at these websites:
http://www.defenders.org/greenjobs and http://www.defenders.org/greenstimulus
http://www.audubon.org/campaign/pdf/greenstimulus.pdf
http://www.nwf.org/globalwarming/investinginamericasnaturalresources.cfm
