Senate approves billions for national park maintenance
Measure sent to House with bipartisan support
WASHINGTON – Scores of long-neglected maintenance projects at Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and hundreds of other national parks dotting the country are one step closer to being addressed.
The Senate on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill that would dedicate billions in revenue paid to the federal government from oil and gas exploration fees through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to cover a mounting backlog of park projects now approaching $12 billion.
The vote was 73-25. The bill now heads to the House.
The money, up to $1.9 billion per year, was always intended to cover maintenance projects but has often been diverted for other congressional priorities. The Great American Outdoors Act the Senate passed would require half of those revenues be spent on park maintenance over the next five years.
“This isn’t a bill that just benefits the East or the West, a bill that just benefits the coastal states or the interior states,” said Colorado GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, the bill’s lead sponsor. “The entire country, from Hawaii to Alaska (and) from Florida to Maine, everywhere in between, benefits from the Great American Outdoors Act.”
Some conservative groups and Republican lawmakers opposed the bill, saying that without cuts in other parts of the budget, the legislation would further add to the national debt.
“This legislation will add over $17 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years,” Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi said Monday. He had proposed a new fee on visas for foreign visitors to raise money for park maintenance, but the Senate did not accept his amendment.
The bill’s passage, a rare moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, marks a long-sought victory for preservationists who have fought for years to use money generated from fossil fuel production for environmental benefits.
Every state, several U.S. territories and the District of Columbia have projects on the list.
Nearly two dozen, including Yellowstone in Wyoming, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the National Mall in Washington, Yosemite National Park in California and the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi have a backlog well above $100 million.