You are here

House Natural Resources Chair Wants Interior Secretary To Explain "Slush Fund"

Share

A congressman wants Interior Secretary Bernhardt to explain where he got the authority to use dedicated funds to clean up national parks during the partial government shutdown early this year/NPS file photo


U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, who chairs the House Natural Resource Committee, wants Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to explain his use of a dedicated revenue stream as a "slush fund" to supplement the National Park Service's general operating budgets.

What the Arizona Democrat is getting at is how Bernhardt OKed the use of Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act dollars to be used by the Park Service early this year to pay for custodial staff and routine maintenance during the partial government shutdown.

The congressman maintains that move was contrary to Congress' sole authority for appropriating funds and ran counter to the mission for FLREA, which was created to provide revenues to enhance visitor experiences by funding specific projects, and to help pay for backlogged maintenance projects.

"The department’s policy on this matter is not a modest reinterpretation of the law," maintains the Democrat, "but rather shameless groundwork for helping the president save face next time he decides to shut down the federal government. The National Park Service must continue to get its primary, day-to-day funding, including money for personnel, from the annual appropriations process – not from FLREA recreation fees."

At the time, some park superintendents and friends groups were concerned because those funds are counted on to enhance the visitor experience, not meet the daily needs of operating a park. 

In his three-page letter (attached below) sent Monday, the Democrat said Bernhardt was wrong to believe FLREA dollars could be spent however he wants.

"This conclusion is misguided," Grijalva wrote. "These fees are not a slush fund. American taxpayers already pay for the general upkeep and administration of our public lands. Extra money imposed on visitors through recreation fees must serve the purposes of enhancing the visitor experience or addressing 'growing backlog maintenance needs' beyond what is acheiveable with appropriated funds."

Secretary Bernhardt, however, has maintained his decision was within the bounds of the law.

"My direction on January 5 outlined a plan to use the available fees at specific parks in a manner that was squarely within the specified purposes within FLREA, including maintaining restrooms and sanitation, providing trash collection, maintaining roads, operating campgrounds, conducting law enforcement and emergency operations, and staffing entrance gates as necessary to provide critical safety information,” Bernhardt earlier wrote U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, who had sought an explanation for the use of FLREA funds.

Rep. Grijalva maintains, though that Interior must publish a notice in the Federal Register if it plans to divert FLREA funds away from their intended use, and must also post notice for projects the money is to be spent on.

"This obligation itself is a powerful indication that FLREA funds were not intended to be used for general day-to-day park operating expenses," wrote the Democrat, referring to the posting requirements. "Using FLREA to fund a full-time park employee is not a discrete 'project,' nor is it localized site-based work easily amenable to posting a sign."

Grijalva’s letter asked for a written explanation of how DOI intends to follow those mandates should Bernhardt continue to use FLREA funds to pay basic operating expenses, such as staff salaries, for which the Democrat maintains they were never intended.

Grijalva sent the letter Monday, a day before the five-month anniversary of the end of the government shutdown, which stretched from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019 – the longest government shutdown in history. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the shutdown – which began when Congress declined to follow President Trump’s demands for $5.7 billion to build a border wall – cost the U.S. economy at least $11 billion, according to the congressman. 

During that shutdown, the Department of the Interior was without funding and sent thousands of furloughed employees home across the country. The damage to national parks and other public lands during the shutdown, mostly due to unauthorized entries and property damage, was widely covered at the time.

Congress later appropriated funds to cover what FLREA dollars were spent during the partial government shutdown. 

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.