Position on H.R. 22, the DRIVE Act

There is a $6 billion backlog of roads, bridge, tunnel and transit projects in the national parks and the National Park Service has estimated that it needs $690 million annually to address them.

Unfortunately, the DRIVE Act falls short of meeting the needs of the parks in a couple of significant ways.

• On average a 2% increase for inflation is built into other programs in the DRIVE Act, the funding for the parks, however, remains flat at $240 million through the six years of the law. Without an increase, NPS transportation systems will continue to deteriorate and the overall backlog will grow.
  
• The DRIVE Act creates a “Nationally Significant Federal Lands Projects” program to address mega projects such as the $1.2 billion Yellowstone Loop Road reconstruction project. The program’s funding of $150 million per year, however, is not guaranteed and will be subject to the whims of the annual appropriations process

NPCA is urging Congress to provide more robust funding for our national parks’ transportation systems. As the national park system enters its 100th year we need to ensure that the roads, bridges, and transit systems that provide visit enjoyment are safe and well maintained in the park system’s next century.