Bipartisan Funding Fix Could Provide Relief for National Park Pollution Problems

National parks welcome over 300 million visits each year, and as a result, have to contend with a multitude of problems ranging from increased litter to air pollution, all within an overarching context of climate change. While some policies could alleviate pollution and maintenance issues, funding remains a constant challenge. Three recently introduced bills highlight national park pollution and funding fixes. 

On February 27th, the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a legislative hearing to discuss two bills that would address pollution concerns in national parks. In her opening remarks, Committee Chair Debra Haaland (D-N.M.) praised the National Park Service’s protection of valuable lands and stressed the importance of maintaining strategic management of these lands. Committee Chair Haaland and Ranking Member Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) emphasized the need to promote sustainability within national parks and use them as laboratories for climate solutions.

A third bill, introduced separately by the Senate on March 9th, would provide funding for these or similar park improvement projects. All three bills are described as follows:

Green Spaces, Green Vehicles Act (H.R. 3681)

The Green Spaces, Green Vehicles Act aims to alleviate air pollution by increasing the usage of electric vehicles and to reduce vehicle miles traveled within parks by deploying electric shuttles that take visitors to popular sites. The chief goal is to transition the federal vehicle fleet to zero-emissions by 2030.

Witnesses emphasized that poor air quality and traffic congestion are major issues in national parks. Panelist Lauren Cosgrove, a Senior Program Manager of the National Parks Conservation Association, noted that 96 percent of national parks have unhealthy air quality, which affects visibility, visitor health, and local wildlife. Overcrowding and frequent bumper-to-bumper traffic during seasonal travel surges are major causes of poor air quality in the parks. Cosgrove argued that converting the NPS vehicle fleet to electric vehicles and expanding the use of shuttles to popular park destinations would help alleviate these air quality concerns and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the parks.  

Reducing Waste in National Parks Act (H.R. 4236)

This bill would create legislation enforcing a since-rescinded Obama Administration rule discouraging the sale of bottled water in national parks and facilitating the sale of reusable water bottles and installation of water refill stations. Panelists and committee members observed that disposable plastic waste is degrading ecosystem health and creating unsightly pollution in national parks. While all the witnesses agreed that it is necessary to reduce the amount of litter entering national parks, opponents of the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act object to eliminating a convenient source of water for visitors, citing health risks of dehydration. Witnesses also raised objections regarding the continued sale of soda and other bottled beverages at National Parks. Committee members asked for data collected from the Obama Administration ban on plastic bottles, but panelist Lena McDowall, Deputy Director of Management and Administration at the National Park Service, said that the data was unreliable. This highlights the need for usable climate and environment data to inform decision-making.

Funding Issues

Throughout the February 27th hearing, committee members discussed the issue of funding for these and other park maintenance bills. The panelists and committee members agreed that increasing appropriations is critical to restore and preserve national and local parks for the enjoyment of all. A major source of funding for national park maintenance and improvement is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was established by Congress in 1965 to collect royalties from fossil fuel extraction on federal land and allocate resources to improve or expand national and state parks. While the fund is authorized for $900 million, the LWCF has been raided for non-conservation projects for decades. Permanent authorization of funding for LWCF was passed into law in 2019, but only $495 million was allocated for the fiscal year 2020. The shortfall in LWCF can be a serious problem given that the cost to address the current deferred maintenance backlog is over $12 billion.

The Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422)

As of March 23rd, 2020, the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422) had 58 Senate cosponsors. Endorsed by environmental science and policy organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Audubon, and the League of Conservation Voters, as well as President Trump, this bill would guarantee $900 million a year in funding to LWCF, preventing the royalties LWCF collects from being used for other purposes. While it remains to be seen if water bottle refill stations and electric vehicle chargers would receive those funds, full appropriations for LWCF would expand the National Park Service’s ability to conduct those and a wide array of other projects to improve the enjoyability and health of parks across the country.

 

Authors: Katherine Kneuper and Amber Todoroff