Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.— As Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to address how the agency will account for non-deferred maintenance projects in our national parks which will not receive funding from the Great American Outdoors Act. The Great American Outdoors Act, passed in August 2020, invested nearly $2 billion a year in national parks, however the bill does not provide explicit funding to support climate resilient infrastructure within the park system. Pingree represents Maine where Acadia National Park has a $65 million deferred maintenance backlog and must also make investments to improve its overall climate resilience.

“For all of us who have [National] Parks in our home states, deferred maintenance is really a significant issue. There are a lot of critically important projects that don’t fit under the ‘deferred maintenance’ umbrella. Although some may be possible under the American Jobs Plan. What do you see as opportunities to make our National Parks whole again?” Chair Pingree asked the Interior Secretary, who said projects that fall under Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) are ineligible for funds under the Great American Outdoors Act, but would benefit from new infrastructure investments. 

Video of Chair Pingree’s opening statement, her questions, and Secretary Haaland’s responses are available for download here.