Dem reps look to boost Parks Service funding

A group of Democrats are looking to inject millions of dollars into the National Parks Service (NPS) as a way to note the agency’s 100th anniversary. 

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and five other Democrats introduced Friday the National Park Service Centennial Act to give the Parks Service an infusion of cash for park repairs and upgrades nationwide. 

{mosads}The bill would require Congress spend $300 million on NPS infrastructure and facility upgrades and $100 million on expanded guest service and repair efforts. 

It would create a fund worth up to $100 million for “signature projects” across the NPS that would “help prepare the National Parks for another century of conservation, preservation and enjoyment.”

The funding streams would run annually through 2018. 

In a statement, Grijalva said the NPS is “one of the best ideas our nation has ever had” and deserves recognition and support on its centennial anniversary. 

“This bill will give our great public lands system the salute it deserves and make sure the National Park Service has what it needs to continue preserving the most beautiful parts of the United States into the future,” he said. 

“This is an easy, nonpartisan effort and I look forward to working with my Republican colleagues to pass it.”

Grijalva had teased the bill last month when the Obama administration announced its support for legislation marking the NPS’s 100th anniversary. 

“This administration and this Congress have the unique opportunity to shape the second century of the National Park Service as they preserve the legacy of some of our nation’s greatest treasures for generations to come,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said then.