Pew Testifies in Support of ‘Restore Our Parks’ Act (PDF)
Pew Testifies in Support of Restore Our Parks Act
This bathroom at Glacier National Park is just one example of deferred maintenance within the National Park System.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Marcia Argust, director of Pew’s campaign to restore America’s national parks, testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks on July 11. She spoke in support of the Restore Our Parks Act and explained how the bill could address up to $6.5 billion of the National Park Service’s $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog. Read her written testimony below.
Our national parks are American treasures. They not only preserve significant historical sites and natural resources, but they also are economic engines for local communities and states. In 2016, the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS) drew record crowds: 331 million visits. These visitors spent more than $18 billion in communities adjacent to parks, which in turn supported 318,150 jobs and nearly $35 billion in national economic output.
The National Park Service needs almost $12 billion to eliminate its backlog of deferred maintenance. The Pew Charitable Trusts' campaign to restore America's parks has created a series of case studies highlighting examples of repairs needed at our nation's treasures.
Marcia Argust, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ campaign to restore America’s national parks, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on March 20. She asked lawmakers to consider various pieces of legislation to help address the $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog in the National Park System. Read her written testimony below.
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