From Congressman Kilmer's web page; who ran an article from the Casper Star Tribune, by Dick Shuptrine.
He quotes Shuptrine: " Invest in our national parks
As a Vietnam war veteran, I am grateful that national parks exist to tell the stories of our country’s wars so that younger generations understand the sacrifices that America’s veterans have made for their country. These sites are important memorials and I am worried that with the severe federal budget cuts being considered in Congress that the National Park Service will not receive sufficient funding to adequately maintain our parks and monuments, including several in Wyoming. I was recently in Washington, D.C., meeting with members of Congress to speak up for park funding.
My gateway community relies heavily on national park visitors to keep our businesses running. A new Park Service report found that in 2016, visitors to Grand Teton supported more than 9,300 local jobs and infused our economy with over $597 million in spending. The visitor economy is Wyoming’s second largest economic sector.
Unfortunately, amid such benefits the Park Service’s $11.3 billion maintenance backlog, is an ever-growing challenge. The backlog includes unmaintained trails, crumbling roads, and visitor centers in desperate need of upgrades. Grand Teton faces $190 million in deferred maintenance projects, which includes more than $80 million in road work. No park is immune to this problem.
Recently, Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) introduced legislation to make a concerted effort to making these repairs. The National Park Service Legacy Act, companion to an identical Senate bill introduced by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), would eventually allocate $500 million annually to the Park Service from existing revenues the government receives for oil and natural gas royalties, every year, until 2047.
This bipartisan proposal will make our parks more resilient and better prepared to continue welcoming visitors. As our parks move into their second century, I call on Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Liz Cheney to support this legislation and make investing in our national parks a national priority again.
From the stunning vistas of the Grand Tetons to the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, our national parks are unique aspects of our nation's natural and cultural heritage set aside for visitors now and into the future to explore and be inspired."
Source: http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/shuptrine-invest-in-our-national-parks
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Editorial note: So how does that jive with the article that Congressman Kilmer shared? Isn't $11.7 billion enough to satisfy the needs of parks?
For more national headlines see page 2
