President Biden's FY22 discretionary budget request would boost the Interior Department's budget by $2.4 billion/NPS, Emily Ogden

Editor's note: This updates with reaction from National Parks Conservation Association.

National Park Service funding would improve under President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2022 discretionary budget request released Friday, and the administration also is seeking money to address climate change and reduce wildfire threats.

Specific programmatic dollars were not highlighted, though overall Biden wants to boost the Interior Department budget to $17.4 billion, a 16 percent increase, or $2.4 billion, over the department's enacted 2021 funding level.

“President Biden’s funding request provides much-needed resources to Tribal Nations, prioritizes racial justice and equity, and invests in healthy lands, waters, and a clean energy economy that will create good-paying jobs,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a release.

The president's desire to see more funding made available to Interior was cheered by the National Parks Conservation Association, where Senior Director of Budget & Appropriations John Garder said it was welcome news.

"After four years of some of the worst budget proposals for parks in history, it’s refreshing and reassuring to see a budget that invests in our parks and the environment. From investments in the operation of parks, climate change, and the conservation corps, clean air and water, the budget offers hope for our parks and communities, and we look forward to seeing the details in the coming weeks," he said.

Garder, noting that the park system has seen a 16 percent increase in visitation during the past decade while the National Park Service has seen a 16 percent decline in staffing levels, said the parks "are doing triage. They’re sending staff wherever they can to deal with visitors, and the work protecting resources and addressing climate change isn’t getting done.”

The budget as described by the White House seeks, in part:

• More than $450 million for DOI, more than double the 2021 enacted discretionary level, to remediate many of the thousands of orphaned oil and gas wells and reclaim abandoned mines on federal and non-federal lands. "This funding builds on the goal of creating 250,000 good-paying union jobs cleaning up abandoned and often hazardous sites," the accompanying narrative said. "These investments would clean up hazardous materials that leak from these wells and mining sites, contaminating the air and water and causing ongoing public health and environmental damage."
• $4 billion, more than $600 million over the 2021 enacted level, to fund a range of DOI tribal programs, including for teachers and students in tribal schools, clean energy development, and tribal law enforcement and court programs to improve safety. "These investments would directly enhance the educational opportunities of the 46,000 students in tribal schools, support the effective management of the 56 million acres of lands held in trust for the benefit of tribal nations—the largest land trust in the world—and strengthen self-determination and self-governance programs to bolster tribal sovereignty," the budget narrative said.
• The request calls for an additional $20 million to expand access to the more than 70 national park units that "preserve and tell the story of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, and to increase support to state and local efforts to preserve sites that document the struggle for equal opportunity."
• The discretionary request seeks an additional $550 million over the 2021 enacted level to decrease climate pollution, accelerate clean energy deployment, and expand efforts around climate adaptation and ecosystem resilience among all the department’s land management agencies.
• The discretionary request asks for $200 million to provide information about the impacts of climate change and how best to implement mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts. "The funds would help ensure that coastal, fire-prone, and other particularly vulnerable communities have accurate and accessible information and tools to allow them to better respond to the climate crisis," said the narrative.
• The request calls for creation of a Civilian Climate Corps. It seeks an additional $200 million for science-driven conservation to align management of the nation’s natural resources with America’s climate, biodiversity, and clean energy needs. "This investment would support the goal of conserving 30 percent of land and water by 2030, including through voluntary actions and incentives that support the stewardship efforts of farmers, ranchers and other private landowners," the narrative said. "The discretionary request would also support the Civilian Climate Corps to develop the next generation of conservation workers and create a new pathway to good-paying jobs.
• To reduce the growing risk of wildfire to public health and the economy, the discretionary request seeks $340 million for Interior to address hazardous fuels management and burned-area rehabilitation projects. "This funding would support efforts at both DOI and the Forest Service to manage vegetation and reduce the intensity, severity, and negative effects of wildfire, in line with the administration’s science-based approach to risk mitigation," said the narrative.
• Biden's request would, according to the narrative, "rebuild core functions and capacities within DOI that have diminished in recent years. The discretionary request invests in USGS science and staffing, and the core operations for national parks, wildlife refuges, and public lands."