House Appropriations Bill a Threat to National Parks

WASHINGTON – The following statement by John Garder, Senior Director of Budget and Appropriations at National Parks Conservation Association, follows the House of Representatives’ passage of an omnibus appropriations bill that includes significant funding cuts to the National Park Service and related agencies. The House also approved additional amendments to the bill that undermine protections for park wildlife, waters and air:

“The House today failed to meet its responsibility to help care for America’s favorite places. To pass a spending bill that cuts funding to national park operations would only further challenge the Park Service’s ability to make necessary repairs to park buildings and trails, protect wildlife, preserve our history and provide the best visitor experience. The bill’s deep 40 percent cut to land acquisition funding would leave sensitive park parcels more vulnerable to residential or commercial development by reducing the park service’s capacity to purchase private land parcels for sale within national parks.

“Adding insult to injury with poison-pill amendments, the bill threatens our park air, water and wildlife by reducing specific protections for marine, California and Alaska wildlife, removing safeguards that protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and preventing efforts to curb harmful methane and ozone waste. The Senate—and a final spending bill for the year—must do better and add to, rather than take away from these special, irreplaceable places all Americans should enjoy.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association

Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.3 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historic, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.