Congress passed much-needed legislation for national parks and other public lands during its 116th session/NPS file

The 116th Congress has shown strong support for national parks, according to the National Parks Action Fund's congressional scorecard, but there remain concerns over insufficient National Park Service funding and legislation that adversely impacts the parks.

Legislative highlights for the parks centered on passage of the John Dingell, Jr., Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act.

The Dingell act had a number of positives for the National Park System: 

• Roughly 35,000 acres were transferred from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to Death Valley National Park.
• Seven years' of funding was provided for the Every Kid Outdoors program.
• A national monument honoring civil rights icon Medgar Evers was created in Mississippi.
• Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument was established in Kentucky.
• Ocmulgee Mounds National Monument in Georgia was redesignated as a national historical park.
• Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire was redesignated as a national historical park.
• Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah was redesignated as a national historical park.
• Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee grew through the addition of battlefields at Davis Bridge and Fallen Timbers in Tennessee, and Russell House in Tennessee and Mississippi to Shiloh.
• More than 620 miles of additions to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
• The North Country National Scenic Trail grew by 1,400 miles.
• The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail was extended 1,200 miles to the east.

The Great American Outdoors Act, meanwhile, dedicated $6.5 billion over five years towards reducing the National Park Service's roughly $12 billion maintenance backlog.

You can find the Congressional scorecard at this site.

“Members of Congress have long touted their love of our national parks, yet their records haven’t always matched their rhetoric,” said Theresa Pierno, chair of the National Parks Action Fund. “For years, parks have welcomed record number of visitors, while also dealing with massive decreases in staffing, budget cuts and billions of dollars in needed repairs across the system. Fortunately, the 116th Congress has begun to right these wrongs and cast votes to match their national park rhetoric.”

The Action Fund, affiliated with the National Parks Conservation Association, evaluated park-related votes taken by the House and Senate during the 116th Congress. The scored votes include a variety of issues affecting parks, including key votes concerning park funding, oil and gas development near parks, cabinet nominations, and protections for water and wildlife.

According to the Action Fund’s 2019-2020 Congressional Scorecard:

• 70% of all members of Congress voted to pass the John Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act and the Great American Outdoors Act.
• 51% of House members and 43% of senators received an 'A' rating.
• Percentage of members of Congress receiving an 'F' dropped 16% (from 53% in 2016 to 37% in 2020).
• Percentage of senators receiving an 'F' dropped by 24% (from 47% in 2016 to 23% in 2020).
• 41% of senators increased their 2020 ratings from their 2016 ratings.
• Eight full state delegations received a 100% rating.
• Three full state delegations received an 'F' rating.

“This scorecard brings to light the power our national parks have to unify us, even during some of the most divisive times our country has faced,” said Pierno. “Lawmakers across the aisle came together to put national parks and public lands over politics. In doing so, more people will have access to these places, and they will receive many of the protections they deserve. But while there’s much to be proud of, we must also recognize and address the ongoing threats to our parks, from the effects of climate change to funding struggles to fossil fuel extraction that could have a profound and lasting impact on these places.”

Despite the wins national parks received from the 116th Congress, they still face cuts to their budgets, including reductions in rangers on the ground. All while the current administration and many in Congress continue to attack the laws that protect public lands, air, waterways and wildlife, even amid a devastating global health pandemic.

“As we prepare for the start of a new Congress next year, we urge members to think hard about the impact their votes could have on our public lands, the air we breathe and the water we drink. And more than ever before, we need a Congress that will stand up to an administration when it counts,” said Pierno. “The American people need and deserve lawmakers who will ensure everyone, no matter where they live, has access to outdoor spaces, and that these places can continue to thrive for generations.”