A bipartisan Senate bill would bring the needed funds to help rebuild the National Park Services’ deteriorating infrastructure, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says.
His comments came in a column posted on The Hill.
"Unfortunately, our park system has been neglected and is in need of rebuilding," he said. "We are loving our parks to death. The backlog of critical maintenance and repairs in the National Park Service stands at $11.6 billion and until recently, addressing the backlog seemed to be out of our reach.
"Our ability to preserve the splendor and beauty of our National Park System should be a slam dunk.
"A bipartisan bill that is now before the Senate would achieve this worthy goal. Thanks to the efforts of leaders like Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Mark Warner D-Va., Angus King I-Maine, and many others, the bill has momentum as others join to show their commitment to our public lands."
Zinke said the park system had 330 million visitors last year and should exceed that figure this year. But he noted the "deteriorating state of many of the roads, bridges, trails, visitor centers and restrooms across the National Park system" should be unacceptable to every American."
"Every American deserves a park system that is ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,’ as the words above the Roosevelt Arch above Yellowstone National Park proclaim," he said.
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