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President’s
FY 2017 Budget Requests $3.1 Billion for National Park Service
to
Invest in the Next Century of America’s National Parks
|
Washington,
DC – February 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / President Obama’s budget request
for fiscal year (FY) 2017 for the National
Park Service supports critical conservation, preservation, and recreation
programs to share our country’s most iconic, natural, cultural, and historical
landscapes with the next generation of visitors.
The
budget requests $3.1 billion to boost the National Park Service’s essential
programs and operational needs by $250.2 million above the FY 2016 enacted
levels.
“This
is a smart, innovative and forward-looking budget that invests in Interior’s
key missions – now and in the future – so we can continue to serve the
American people,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “The President’s
budget provides targeted investments to create economic opportunities by
growing our domestic energy portfolio, building climate resilient communities,
and revitalizing America’s national parks as we mark their 100th anniversary.”
Recently
released visitation statistics show that America’s national parks are more
popular than ever. More than 305 million people visited the 409 parks in
the National Park System in 2015, eclipsing the all-time visitation record
the NPS saw in the previous year.
“We
are actively reaching out to a new generation of visitors and inviting
them to explore the depth and breadth of the National Park System,” National
Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said. “The President’s budget
will enable the National Park Service to continue to provide these visitors
with a fantastic experience, while ensuring that these priceless resources
are protected and preserved into the next century.”
“Our
national parks not only represent our country’s most iconic, natural, cultural,
and historical landscapes; they also serve as economic engines for nearby
areas,” Jarvis said. “Every tax dollar invested in the NPS returns more
than $10 to the U.S. economy, thanks to visitor spending in gateway communities.”
The
FY 2017 budget builds on FY 2016 Centennial Initiative funding to address
deferred maintenance of the NPS’ highest priority assets. The budget includes
discretionary increases of $150.5 million in operations and construction,
which will help the NPS to restore and maintain all 7,186 highest priority
non-transportation assets, such as visitor centers, trails and campgrounds,
in good condition over the next 10 years.
Additional
increases for NPS operations would support the Every
Kid in a Park initiative, a program announced by President Obama last
year that provides fourth graders and their families’ free entry to more
than 2,000 federally-managed lands and waters nationwide for an entire
year. The initiative is part of a broader effort to connect young people
to our nation’s unique outdoor spaces. Proposed funding for the initiative
includes $11.5 million to transport more than one million students from
Title 1 elementary schools in urban areas to nearby national parks and
$8.5 million to support youth engagement coordinators at parks.
The
proposed budget includes an increase of $20 million for Centennial Challenge
projects and partnerships, a matching program that leverages federal funds
with partner donations for signature projects and programs at national
parks. In FY 2016, the NPS leveraged $15 million in federal funding from
this program with nearly $33 million from more than 90 park partners, for
a total benefit of almost $48 million.
The
budget requests increases of $17 million for competitive historic preservation
grants and $3 million for grants-in-aid to historically black colleges
and universities to document, interpret, and preserve the stories and sites
associated with the progress of civil rights in America. This funding builds
on the $8 million provided for these activities in FY 2016.
The
budget also includes several new mandatory proposals, including those tied
to the National
Park Service Centennial Act, introduced last September, as well as
the Department of the Interior proposal to permanently authorize annual
funding for LWCF programs. The budget requests $178.2 million in discretionary
funding and $141.2 million in mandatory funding for NPS programs within
the Fund.
“We
look forward to continuing to work with Congress as it considers additional
legislation in support of the National Park Service Centennial, which would
further improve the national parks by encouraging philanthropy and volunteerism,
improve visitor services, and connect with a new generation of national
park visitors,” Jarvis said.
Other
increases in the President’s Budget for the National Park Service support
operations at new park units, as well as investments in critical natural
and cultural resource management:
-
$10.7
million to support newly created parks , including Pullman National Monument,
Honouliuli National Monument, and Manhattan Project National Historical
Park, as well as the law enforcement and visitor service needs associated
with the 2017 presidential inauguration.
-
$2 million
to support the conservation and stabilization of vanishing treasures and
preservation of technical conservation skills; $2 million to increase grant
funding for Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; $0.9 million to modernize
and digitize the National Register of Historic Places; and $0.8 million
to reinvigorate the Preservation Technology and Training grants program
-
$3 million
for climate change adaptation projects at parks, $1.2 million to provide
a science-based response to energy development adjacent to parks, $1.0
million for multi-agency studies to determine the potential impact of uranium
mining near Grand Canyon National Park, and $1.1 million to support expanded
research and monitoring of climate change and its impacts in the Arctic.
The President’s
FY17 budget request of $13.4 billion for the Department of the Interior
reflects his commitment to meeting Federal trust responsibilities to Native
Americans, conserve vital national landscapes across the Nation, support
the next century of the National Park Service, and allow for responsible
management of energy development on public lands and offshore areas. The
Budget in Brief is online: www.doi.gov/budget
and www.doi.gov/budget/2017/Hilites/toc.html.
The
National Park Service cares for 409 parks that preserve natural, cultural
and historic landscapes across 84 million acres in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia and U.S. Territories. National Park Service grant and technical
assistance programs help revitalize communities and expand local recreation
opportunities across the country.
About
the National Park Service
More
than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 409 national
parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at
www.NPS.gov,
on Facebook Facebook.com/nationalparkservice,
Twitter Twitter.com/natlparkservice,
and YouTube YouTube.com/nationalparkservice.
Media
Contact:
Jeremy
Barnum (NPS)
202-208-6843 |