WASHINGTON — Even as the House Appropriations Committee is proposing to offer a multimillion-dollar boost for national parks and federal land, the recent catastrophic flooding at Yellowstone National Park shows the increase may not be enough.
The House Appropriations Committee on June 29 approved a $44.8 billion fiscal 2023 spending bill that would boost spending for environmental, public lands and tribal programs within the Interior Department by $6.8 billion, or 18 percent. Included in the bill was a 15 percent increase for public lands administered by agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.
While part of a yearslong push to increase funding as the agencies struggle with maintenance backlogs, the funding comes weeks after a catastrophic flood – so severe that scientists would expect one like it to occur just once every 1,000 years – forced the closure of Yellowstone National Park, which drew nearly 5 million visitors last year.
