The Reconciliation Bill That Could Reshape National Parks Forever

Under the reconciliation process, congressional committees are charged with developing bill language related to taxes and spending within their jurisdiction. By the end of May, this ill-advised bill from the Natural Resources committee will be bundled with legislation from other committees and go to a vote on the House floor. Please read more about the bill and how it could reshape this and future generations’ experiences in national parks below.

Attacking park staffing and the largest climate investment in American history

The bill eliminates all remaining Inflation Reduction Act funding for the National Park Service – around $267 million that would support critical park staffing needs.

These funds pose an outsized risk because the Trump administration rescinded job offers and caused staffing chaos in its first 100 days. The Park Service demonstrated, through Inflation Reduction Act projects focused on place-based impacts and solutions, what’s possible when meaningful investment aligns with dedicated public service. With care and expertise, park staff were able to turn historic funding into lasting, visible improvements that protect the natural and cultural resources millions go to parks to see.

Now, instead of pushing back against the administration’s attacks against the dedicated staff who work every day to take care of America’s most cherished places, this bill does the opposite, robbing the Park Service of critical staffing funds. Clawing back money essential to the operation of national parks while they’re already understaffed and underfunded adds insult to injury while parks face their busiest season for visitors.

Since January, the Trump administration has cut back 13% of national park staff. Further chopping back some of the nation’s most hard-working, admired public servants would irreparably alter national parks for this and future generations, at a time when national parks are more beloved and visited than ever. 332 million people visited our national parks, battlefields and historic sites in 2024, and many of these visitors also hike, fish and camp on other public lands during those visits.

The Inflation Reduction Act funding is also essential to a number of projects across the country, from restoring health to ecosystems in Saguaro National Park to managing invasive mosquitos in Haleakalā National Park. These cuts double down on the Trump administration’s catastrophic actions that could dismantle a 100-year-old institution.

Today, any proposed loss of funding threatens the stability and operations of national parks across the country during peak visitation season. With hundreds of millions of potential visitors making their way to America’s national parks and neighboring businesses in the coming months, it’s impossible to conceive that the Congress’ actions are good for Americans, who not only love their public lands, but pay taxpayer dollars to ensure their maintenance and care. Park rangers are forced to do more with less, with scientists acting as fee collectors; longer lines at park entrances; and fewer or even canceled programming at popular park sites.

Selling public lands in Utah and Nevada

The House Natural Resources Committee – against Americans’ interest – advanced an amendment that could force the sell-off of thousands of acres of public land in Utah and Nevada.

Selling off sites that belong to all Americans for private profit is the antithesis of American values. Over 100 years ago, the National Park System was established for the benefit of wildlife, clean water and air and the recreational value of these special places. Selling lands near national parks could allow for the exploitation of their natural resources and leave them spoiled, divided and mismanaged.

Included in the bill is a land parcel adjacent to Zion National Park in Utah. Making this land open to development could have serious consequences for resource protection and visitor experience at a park that welcomes millions of visitors each year. The best way to protect Zion’s future is to ensure the public land around it remains in the hands of the public, not sold off piece by piece.

Accelerating oil and gas leasing and drilling near parks

The reconciliation bill proposes increased oil and gas leasing and drilling, placing nearby parks at risk. For anyone who loves unspoiled views and undisturbed forests and wetlands, oil and gas drilling within or near parks dramatically changes the park experience. In addition to the hazy skies and air pollution, fossil fuel extraction disrupts dark skies with industrial lighting and can even impact park safety. Leaving a large portion of our public lands open to oil and gas development is a bad idea.

Oftentimes, the oil and gas industry would benefit from exposing public lands to drilling, while the public would lose access to lands. Taxpayers would lose oversight and fair compensation for the use of public resources. That’s not to mention the impact on businesses nearby. To put this into context, outdoor recreation generates $887 billion (PDF) in economic activity annually, significantly outpacing the contributions of the oil and gas industry. Yet this bill introduces the possibility that oil and gas would more significantly impact the management of our public lands than the well-being of our communities and sound science.

Threatening Gates of the Arctic and Boundary Waters

The bill also threatens two beloved park landscapes: Gates of the Arctic National Preserve and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

If enacted, the bill would force approval of the Ambler industrial mining road, which would devastate America’s largest roadless and intact national park landscape in Northwest Alaska. Thanks to advocacy by Alaska Natives, conservation groups including NPCA, and a broad community of partners and allies, the Ambler mining road was defeated twice in 2024. Construction of the Ambler road could harm not only Gates of the Arctic National Preserve, but Alaska Native communities, clean water and one of Earth’s largest wildlife migrations.

Near Voyageurs National Park, Boundary Waters is a wilderness area of 1.1 million acres. The reconciliation bill would rescind existing protections to facilitate copper mining activities in the area, putting the entire watershed at risk. Pollution from as far as 100 miles away could flow downstream into the national park’s waters, threatening public health and wildlife.

National parks are more popular than all professional sports teams combined. To put their value into context, these beloved, wild places create $55 billion in revenue for national and local economies. Our parks and public lands are loved by so many and help drive small businesses and the national economy. This legislation is the opposite of what is needed and could do irreparable harm to our parks, which are not only beloved landmarks, but economic powerhouses. Most of all, these are places core to the American identity, and they deserve the protection and preservation we committed to over 100 years ago.

The reconciliation bill, at its core, is a missed opportunity for Congress to stand up for America’s most beloved places and public servants. But it’s not too late. Our representatives can still save our public lands, but they must act now and oppose this bill, before we become the generation who put profit over people, and the parks they have spent over 100 years protecting.