House lawmakers proposed giving the National Park Service (NPS) less money to purchase new land so it can focus on maintaining land it already manages.
Republican introduced a draft bill Wednesday to cut NPS funding by $64 million, largely stemming from cuts to land purchases. Most of the Park Service budget will go towards maintaining park operations and addressing the $12 billion dollar maintenance backlog.
“The agencies funded in the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill do important work protecting public lands, the air we breathe, and the water we drink,” Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Interior Subcommittee, said in a statement. “Our subcommittee prioritized proven programs that have a meaningful impact to achieve these goals while also ensuring our economy can continue to grow.”
NPS needs to spend four times the amount it gets every year from Congress to fix its maintenance backlog, which is expected to grow each year, according to research from the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC). Much of the maintenance backlog facing the agency is caused by expanding operations at the expense of basic upkeep.
The NPS added 18 new units to the national parks system since 2009, costing the agency an enormous amount of money. As the mission of NPS expanded, the agency became increasingly unable to fund necessary maintenance projects.
The correlation between new park units and deferred maintenance is quite direct. The U.S. government has spent more than $10 billion acquiring new public lands, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The full Appropriations Committee bill includes $31.4 billion in funding for many other U.S. environmental and public land programs. This is $824 million below last year’s levels, but roughly $4.3 billion above President Donald Trump’s budget request.
Read more at Daily Caller
Growth like that is unsustainable. They are going to end up throwing away what we have for new acquisitions. They are increasing rates for admission – which is actually double taxation. We already fund them. Charging again at the entrance is looting the citizenry again.
Recently discussed in the SAME House Committee that these cuts have originated, IT WAS DISCUSSED SELLING ACREAGE in Parks, by name Yellow Stone and the Grand Canyon, to start. Acres to be used for GAS STATIONS, GEO THERMAL POWER PLANTS, FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS
and Gas Stations
….and some HIGH END HOTELS.
Do YOU SUPPORT the SELLING and subdividing our pristine park system to raise money for Governments…to save taxes
on the WEALTHY.
Keep in mind, the TOP ECONOMIC TIER IN THE USA has TRIPLED in INCOME….all the while
THE “Total Taxes Actually Paid” has been cut in half.
.
That Economic tier pays a small percent of taxes than the next 3 economic tiers (that is half the population).
.
Donald Trump has proposed stripping 23 million fellow citizens, men, women, many, many, children of Medical Benefits in order to fund another major tax reduction for the Wealthy.
Ratatouille, please explain the multi-millionaire crusaders (like Bono) who preach wealth redistribution, yet hide their phat stacks in tax exile.
This is sure to upset the green nuts from the various eco-wacko groups especialy the National Parks & Conservation Association