WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 320 million people visit America’s national parks every year.
But behind the breathtaking views is a growing problem — aging infrastructure and billions of dollars in deferred maintenance.
From the Grand Canyon to Gettysburg, and the Statue of Liberty to Yellowstone, America’s national parks preserve some of the country’s most iconic places — and its history.
“Our national parks are America’s best idea,” Paul Coussan, vice president of government relations at the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the Park Service.
But keeping those parks open, safe and accessible takes more than a good view. Coussan said roads, restrooms, trails and visitor centers are increasingly in need of repairs — especially projects that have been pushed to the back burner.
“Some of the needed repairs and infrastructure improvements just haven’t happened,” said Coussan. “The deferred maintenance backlog in the Park Service right now is about $23 billion.”
In 2020, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act and established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. The fund unlocked a total of $6.5 billion dollars over five years for land bureaus like the National Park Service (NPS).
“The good thing about the Legacy Restoration Fund, it is addressing those long-standing issues that needed to be addressed,” Coussan said. “The bad news is it expired last September.”
Despite the fund’s expiration, active projects can continue. However, new projects are on hold until the fund is reauthorized. The “America the Beautiful Act” is the bipartisan legislation to do exactly that.
The legislation, introduced in both the House and Senate, would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund for another five years and bump annual funding for all four land bureaus, including NPS, to $2 billion per year.
Reauthorization, Coussan said, could unlock funding for infrastructure improvements, such as roadwork at the Saratoga Battlefield and Cuyahoga River Trail at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
It has broad bipartisan support in both chambers, with about 70 cosponsors in the Senate, including all of New York’s and Pennsylvania’s senators.
“It’s moving in the right direction. We just need to get it across the finish line,” said Coussan.
The bill has passed unanimously in its respective committees in both the House and Senate. Coussan also said the White House has signaled support for it too.
