The White House released two executive orders on July 3 with the stated purpose of protecting America’s public lands. One order establishes a Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) commissionThe other is to improve the country. national parks.
The two orders are a dramatic change in tone from an administration that is largely unbiased. expanded mining and drilling leases On US public land, the language used in describing future changes is, at best, vague.
Anna Peterson is the executive director of the National Park Service. She says, “We hope that this departure from Trump’s anti-public land agenda becomes the standard and isn’t a PR ploy designed to distract voters from backlash received by some Republicans after they spent months trying to sell these public lands at the highest price.” The Mountain PactA nonprofit project working with elected officials in mountain towns of the Western US.
We’ve gathered what we know to date about how the order could affect funding, staffing and access in national parks.
Funding
These two orders follow on from the $267 million of cuts made to the National Park Service via the current budget reconciliation act and a reduction in the National Park Service’s (NPS) staff. 24% to the NPS’ permanent staff. The Improving Our National Parks Executive Order mentions that foreign tourist entry fees will be increased in order to increase revenues and improve affordability for US residents. The specifics of these fee increases have not been revealed as of the time of writing.
The Make America Beautiful Again Executive Order also claims that overreach in regulation has “undermined conservation funding and outdoor traditions” and that mismanagement at the NPS is responsible for more than 23 billion dollars of deferred repairs. The order does not explain that the Trump administration is responsible for the Great American Outdoors Act’s (GAOA) circa 2020. failed to fully use The Land and Water Conservation Fund budget has been cut, causing a backlog of maintenance in US national parks. Republicans are proposing additional legislation to further defund LWCF. permanently funded by the GAOA You can use the money from royalty payments on offshore oil and gas.
Staffing
Only 4,500 of the NPS seasonal employees that the administration promised to hire in the summer have been hired. Conservationists are reacting with alarm, while others cautiously hope that recent executive orders reflect a shift in priorities.
Kristen Brengel is the senior vice president for government affairs at National Park Conservation Association. “Dedicated Park Service personnel ensure [that] Resources are protected. This executive order is not going anywhere unless the administration exempts the Park Service and restores positions.
The Supreme Court lifted the injunction six days after executive orders were issued, which had prevented the President from ordering federal agencies in large numbers to reduce their workforces. The TL:DR, according to the NPCAThe Trump administration can now proceed with further staffing cuts to the National Park Service. The executive order “Improving National Parks”, also called for an end to a 2017 Presidential Memorandum Promoting diversity and inclusion on America’s public land.
