December 1, 2025 A coalition of national and regional environmental and public health organizations is urging EPA not to weaken its Regional Haze Rule, the core program for clearing air pollution from America’s national parks and wilderness areas. They warn that EPA’s current proposal could create “off-ramps” that let states skip required cleanup plans, slow
Protecting Park Views: Coalition Urges EPA to Strengthen the Regional Haze Rule
Comments Submitted via regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-1477-0001 December 1, 2025 Paige Wantlin Air Quality Policy Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Environmental Protection Agency 109 TW Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 Wa***********@*pa.gov Subject: Comments on EPA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Visibility Protection: Regional Haze State Plan Requirements Rule Revision Dear Ms. Wantlin:
Statement: America’s best idea now America’s greatest shakedown with new park fees
Statement: America’s best idea now America’s greatest shakedown with new park fees On Tuesday 25 November, the Trump Administration announced that as of January 1, 2026, foreign visitors will need to pay an additional $100 to visit 11 popular national parks—on top of existing fees. The park pass will also jump to $250 for international
Government Shutdown Sends Ripples Through Science
Government shutdown sends ripples through science By Rachel Cohen KNPR (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Public Radio Thursday, November 20, 2025 On Oct. 1, the day the government shut down after Congress failed to pass a budget, Jeremy Shaw was working deep in a meadow valley in Rocky Mountain National Park. A research scientist at Colorado
Coalition Urges Interior to Uphold Historic Integrity Amid White House Alterations and Interpretation Directives
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW November 19, 2025 The Honorable Doug Burgum Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington D.C., 20240 Dear Secretary Burgum: I am writing on behalf of more than 4,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), who collectively represent more than 50,000
Government Reopens, But the Crisis in Our National Parks Deepens
MEMO To: Interested Parties Fr: Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Re: The Government Is Open. Now what for our National Parks? Dt: November 2025 The government shutdown crisis may be over, but the crisis at our national parks is not. In fact, the government shutdown made an already bad situation at national parks and
Environmental Groups Call on Alabama Regulators to Curb Industrial Pollution and Protect Clean Air in State Parks
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks * Energy Alabama * GASP National Parks Conservation Association * Sierra Club Alabama Chapter November 7, 2025 Mr. Aubrey H. White III Chief, Air Division Alabama Department of Environmental Management P.O. Box 301463 Montgomery, AL 36130-1463 ah*@**********ma.gov Submitted via electronic mail Dear Mr. White, On behalf of the undersigned
Interior Secretary Faces Backlash Over Overseas Trip During Shutdown
Interior Secretary Faces Backlash Over Overseas Trip During Shutdown By Maxine Joselow | The New York Times | Nov. 4, 2025 As the U.S. government shutdown continues to strain federal operations, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is drawing criticism for embarking on a weeklong trip across the Middle East and Europe. His itinerary includes major energy
Protecting Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Coalition Calls on BLM to Halt New Oil and Gas Leases Near Park Boundary
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted on-line via: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2040547/570/8021539/comment November 4, 2025 Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office Branch of Fluid Minerals Attention: Hattie Payne 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101 Subject: Scoping comments on parcels under consideration for inclusion in the BLM Montana-Dakotas Q2 (April) 2026 Oil and Gas Lease
Protecting Cumberland Island’s Wilderness: Coalition Opposes New Beach Access Road Proposal
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted by email to: el**************@****ga.gov November 1, 2025 Beth Byrnes Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division One Conservation Way Brunswick, Georgia 31520 el**************@****ga.gov Subject: Foster Family Irrevocable Trust, Beach Driving Access Point, Atlantic Ocean, Cumberland Island, Camden County, Georgia Dear Ms. Byrnes: I am writing
The Wilderness Society & Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Urge BLM to Strengthen Wyoming Lease Sale Analysis
The Wilderness Society & Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Urge BLM to Strengthen Wyoming Lease Sale Analysis October 30, 2025 — The Wilderness Society (TWS) and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks submitted joint comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Urges Senate Support for S.J.Res. 69 to Halt Barred Owl Killings in National Parks
October 28, 2025 The Honorable Michael Bennet United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Support for S.J.Res. 69 – Opposition to Killing North American Forest Owls in 14 Units of the National Park System Dear Senator Bennet: I am Elaine Frances Leslie, Ph.D., a career wildlife biologist in both the private sector and federal government,
Organizations Urge BLM to Prioritize Ecosystem Health and Climate Resilience in Utah 2026 Lease Sale
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD * COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS * NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION * NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION * THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY October 27, 2025 Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office Attention: Christina Price 440 West 200 South, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1345 SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING Re: Scoping comments on
Conservation Groups Protest Utah BLM’s Q4 2025 Oil & Gas Lease Sale
Conservation Groups Protest Utah BLM’s Q4 2025 Oil & Gas Lease Sale October 23, 2025 — Salt Lake City, UT Rocky Mountain Wild, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have filed a formal protest against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed Q4 2025 Competitive Oil and
More Than 450 Former National Park Leaders Call for Closure of National Parks as Dangerous Incidents Escalate
More Than 450 Former National Park Leaders Call for Closure of National Parks as Dangerous Incidents Escalate Following incidents at Yosemite and Joshua Tree, leaders state: As these latest, and sadly predictable, incidents clearly demonstrate, our parks cannot operate without dedicated staff In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum sent today, more
Protect Our Parks: Former NPS Employees Warn of Escalating Dangers During Shutdown
October 23, 2025 The Honorable Doug Burgum Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington D.C., 20240 Dear Secretary Burgum: We write to you with great alarm after dangerous and life-threatening incidents at national parks and urge you once again to close all national parks until the government re-opens. As you have likely
More Than 100 Conservation and Environmental Organizations Urge Senate Agriculture Committee to Reject the “Fix Our Forests Act”
The Honorable John Boozman Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Amy Klobuchar Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Boozman, Ranking Member Klobuchar, and Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee: On behalf of our millions
Keep ORVs Out of National Parks
October 15, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Senators Lee and Curtis Introduce New Bills that will Authorize Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) in National Parks Across America Allowing ORVs on National Park Service roads is incompatible with protection of Park resources and visitor experiences Contacts: Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; gr***@**wa.org Caitlyn
Coalition and NPCA Submit Comments on NPS Visitor Services
October 9, 2025 RE: Docket No. NPS-2025-0037, request for information on improving visitor services On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Re: Docket No. MPS-2025-0037, we are pleased to offer comments on the National Park Service (NPS)’s efforts to improve visitor services. Since 1919, the
Coalition Urges Closure of National Parks After Illegal BASE Jumping, Squatting in Yosemite
After Reports Of Illegal BASE jumping And Squatters In Yosemite, Coalition To Protect America’s National Park Says: “This is What We Warned About. It’s Time To Close National Parks” Report in SFGate shows video of “illegal behavior, including BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits” inside Yosemite National Park A story
Coalition Submits Comments on Proposed Rescission of BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted on-line via: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/BLM-2025-0001-0001 October 8, 2025 U.S. Department of the Interior Director, Bureau of Land Management 1849 C St. NW, Room 5646 Washington, DC 20240 Attention: 1004-AF03 Subject: Proposed Rescission of BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, RIN 1004-AF03 To whom it may concern: I am
Public Lands Leaders Sound Alarm on National Parks and Public Lands As Government Shutdown Compounds Effect of Existing Cuts
October 7, 2025 Public Lands Leaders Sound Alarm on National Parks and Public Lands As Government Shutdown Compounds Effect of Existing Cuts With Limited Staff and Shrinking Budgets, Public Lands are Stretched Thin; Leaders Warn Early Shutdown Impacts Foreshadow Larger Problems Full Recording and Transcript can be Found Here. Washington, D.C. — Today, former
NPT: Veteran Public Lands Managers Lament Government Shutdown’s Impacts
By Kurt Repanshek October 7, 2025 National parks across the country might appear to be operating largely as usual during the government shutdown, but natural and cultural resources are at risk, National Park Service morale is further being crushed, and family finances are at risk while many politicians look the other way, former agency personnel
South Carolina Organizations Urge EPA to Reject State’s Regional Haze Plan Revision
Augusta Aiken Audubon Society Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks National Parks Conservation Association South Carolina Environmental Law Project Waccamaw Audubon Society September 29, 2025 Matthew Bloemer Air Planning and Implementation Branch Air and Radiation Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 61 Forsyth Street SW Atlanta, GA 30303 Electronic Filing via: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-R04-OAR-2022-0367-0001 Dear Mr.
Coalition Deeply Concerned Over Plan to Keep Parks Open and Understaffed During Shutdown
Coalition members and staff continue to push for national parks – which are already struggling under the impacts of staffing and budget cuts since January – to be closed in the event of a government shutdown. NBC Bay Area News – “Why some want national parks closed if government shuts down.“ Cronkite News –