President Biden Seeking Nearly $2.3 Billion In Disaster Assistance For National Park Service

President Biden has asked Congress to provide nearly $2.3 billion to the National Park Service to help with disaster recovery at parks stretching from Acadia National Park in Maine and the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to Death Valley National Park in California.

"This funding would be used to repair and rebuild federal facilities, roads, and other assets damaged as a result of severe snowstorms in California, fires in Washington State, tornadoes in Oklahoma, and severe storms on the East Coast in particular in Maine, earlier this year," the supplemental request states. "Funding reflects updated estimates to address damages as a result of Hurricane Hilary in California, and recent damages from the Windy Deuce fire in Texas, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. The request includes $1.7 billion for repairs and rebuilding of the Blue Ridge Parkway and associated facilities."

Overall, the president is seeking $16.1 billion in supplemental assistance for government agencies. The list is attached below.

Dozens of organizations, ranging from the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Virginia Bicycling Association to the National Parks Conservation Association and Kids for Saving the Earth sent a letter (attached below) to key congressional delegates on appropriations committees and subcommittees with a say over environmental issues and the Interior Department, urging support of the request.

"From national parks to national forests, national wildlife refuges and other national public lands, these areas are as critical to the recreational economy and tourism as much as they are to conservation, ecosystem services, and the quality of life that draws people to live and reside in the countless communities that have been impacted since the last disaster relief provision in the 2023 omnibus appropriations package," they said.

"The impacts to these areas are profound, from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Pisgah National Forest, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and other refuges on the Florida coast and beyond. The total need is of such a magnitude that it either rivals or even far surpasses the annual operations and maintenance budgets of some of the affected agencies, which include the National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management," the letter stated. "Recovery will require project and personnel costs, as well as the engagement of philanthropic and management partners and contracting with construction contractors."

According to NPCA, the National Park System alone recorded $2.3 billion in damages from storms and wildfires (see attachement below). Along with substantial road damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, NPCA pointed out that that that storm damaged the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, while Hurricane Milton damaged Fort Matanzas National Monument and Desoto National Memorial in Florida. Flash-flooding in September damaged Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, the advocacy group pointed out, while a tornado in May damaged Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.

In the letter urging approval of the president's request, the coalition noted that "[O]ur federal public lands have already been waiting for relief and repairs for more than a year. The president’s request from October 2023 included $417 million for the US Forest Service, $395 million for the National Park Service, $111 million for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and $76 million for the Bureau of Land Management. These overdue funds are for repairing and rebuilding facilities and restoring forests and other ecosystems damaged and destroyed by natural disasters from Alaska to Hawaii to numerous locations in the US mainland."

Along with actual damage to these places, the damages created economic impacts for communities around the parks, forests, and other public lands, the groups said.

"We cannot overstate how important these impacted areas are to the conservation of resources that conserve ecosystem services, wildlife and other resources and that provide for public recreation and enjoyment, as well as to bolster the local, regional and national economies," they said.

With Congress expected to adjourn on Friday, congressional action on the request is expected this week.