Coalition Joins Comments Urging Congress to include Federal Public Lands’ Considerable Needs in the Disaster Relief Package

Senator Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Senator Patty Murray, Chair, Committee on Appropriations Senator Jeff Merkley, Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies Congresswoman Tom Cole, Chair, Committee on Appropriations Congressman Mike Simpson, Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies Congressman Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House Congressman Hakeem Jeffries,

Coalition and Over 60 Environmental Organizations Urge Congress to Advance Bipartisan Funding Increases in FY 2025 with No Poison Pill Riders

November 21, 2024 United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives Dear Members of Congress, The 64 undersigned groups write to you today to urge you to follow the Senate Appropriations Committee’s lead and advance bipartisan, sensible funding increases for environmental programs in Fiscal Year 2025 free of new poison pill policy riders or attacks on

Coalition Joins NPT for a Conversation About the Debt Ceiling Crisis and National Parks

  National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 222 Debt Ceiling Crisis And The Parks By Jess Repanshek – May 14th, 2023 While spring is slowly giving way to summer in many parts of the country, with visitors gaining more and more access to the National Park System, a stand-off in Washington over the country’s debt ceiling

Statement for the Record of Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council to The National Parks Committee on The President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the National Park Service

  Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on National Parks Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate The President’s Budget Request for the National Park Service for Fiscal Year 2024 May 10, 2023 Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, and members

Coalition Submits Statement for the Record To Senate Committee on Appropriations Regarding FY 2024 NPS Appropriations

  Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies United States Senate FY 2024 Appropriations for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior April 10, 2023 Chairman Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and members of

Coalition Statement for the Record Concerning FY 2024 NPS Appropriations

  Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives FY 2024 Appropriations for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior March 17, 2023 Chairman Simpson, Ranking Member Pingree, and

Coalition Statement on President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget

  For release: March 9, 2023 Contact: Emily Thompson, Em************@pr********.org Coalition Statement on President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget Today, President Biden released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2024. The proposal calls for $3.8 billion to the National Park Service (NPS) budget, an increase from FY 2023. If enacted, this funding would help to address

Coalition Celebrates Passage of National Heritage Area Act

  Date: 12.22.22 Contact: Emily Thompson Today, the National Heritage Area Act (S. 1942) passed the House with a remarkable level of bi-partisan support. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday. It now heads to President Biden’s desk for signature. Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement

Coalition Statement on FY2023 Omnibus Funding Bill

  Date: 12.21.22 Contact: Emily Thompson Congress has introduced an omnibus funding bill for fiscal year 2023, which calls for a much-needed increase of more than $210 million to the National Park Service (NPS). The bill also includes $1.5 billion in critically needed supplemental disaster funding for parks across the country still dealing with the

Coalition Urges Passage of National Heritage Act in Letter to Congressional Leadership

  December 13, 2022 The Honorable Charles Schumer Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Coalition Supports Increased Funding For Environmental Agencies and Programs in FY23 Omnibus Bill

November 30, 2022     Dear Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chairwoman DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger: On behalf of our tens of millions of members and supporters across the country, we respectfully request that you support significantly increased funding for environmental agencies and programs in the FY23 omnibus. We also ask that you reject

Coalition Signs on In Support of Additional Funding for Disaster Relief in FY23 Appropriations Omnibus Bill

November 14th, 2022 RE: Include public lands disaster relief in the next FY23 funding vehicle Dear Senators and Representatives: We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of Americans, are dismayed by the devastation this year’s natural disasters have caused to communities throughout the country and commend the bipartisan aid you have provided for their needs to

Coalition Leads Effort in Support of Additional FY23 NPS Funding

American Hiking Society * Appalachian Mountain Club * Appalachian Trail Conservancy * Chesapeake Conservancy * Connecticut Forest & Park Association Continental Divide Trail Association * Environmental Action Committee of West Marin * East Bay Regional Park District * Endangered Species Coalition Evangelical Environmental Network * Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Friends of Saguaro National Park *

Coalition Submits Testimony on FY23 NPS Appropriations

        Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate FY 2023 Appropriations for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior June 8, 2022 Chairman Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and

NPT: The National Park System’s Crippling Maintenance Backlog

  National Parks Traveler Episode 170 The National Park System’s Crippling Maintenance Backlog By Kurt Repanshek – May 15th, 2022 In today’s podcast, we’re looking out across the National Park System, and at the National Park Service, in advance of the Memorial Day Weekend, the traditional launch to summer, to explore how things are on

Coalition Joins Sign On Commending GAOA Hearing

  February 8, 2022 Dear Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines and Members of the Committee, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition (Coalition), thank the Subcommittee on National Parks for hosting the important upcoming hearing on the Great American Outdoors Act. We commend the historic bipartisan support for this bill and

Coalition Joins Call Urging Passage of Final FY 22 Appropriations Bills

  January 24, 2022 Dear Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Shelby, Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, urge passage of final Fiscal Year 2022 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bills to address significant park understaffing and related operational

Former Coalition Chair Comments on Funding Imbalance and the Parks

    NPT Editor’s note: Without adequate funding, you can’t quickly repair your leaking roof, or hire enough employees to meet your customers’ needs and demands. At the National Park Service, the lack of adequate funding across the board threatens the agency’s mission, landing the issue of park funding on National Parks Traveler’s 3rd Annual Threatened and

Coalition Submits Testimony for National Park and Public Lands Bills

 Statement for the Record Philip A. Francis, Jr. Chair of the Executive Council Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests & Mining Committee on Energy & Natural Resources United States Senate Hearing on Various National Park and Public Lands Bills  June 16, 2021 Senator Cortez Masto, Senator Lee, and members of

Coalition Statement on President Biden’s FY2022 Budget

  Coalition Statement on President Biden’s FY2022 Budget Date: 6.3.2021 Contact: Emily Thompson; Em************@pr********.org Last week, the Biden administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. The proposal calls for significant investments in the National Park System, including an increase of nearly $381 million (a 12% increase) to the National Park Service (NPS) budget.

Coalition Submits Budget Recommendations for Committee Hearing

The Coalition submitted its FY 2022 NPS Budget Recommendations as part of the official record for the House Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing entitled “Building Back Better: Examining the Future of America’s Public Lands.”   FY 2022 National Park Service Budget Recommendations from the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks     EXECUTIVE SUMMARY At a time when

Coalition Signs on to FY 21 Appropriations Letter

 November 19, 2020  Dear Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall, Chairwoman Collins and Ranking Member Reed, Chairwoman McCollum and Ranking Member Joyce, Chairman Price and Ranking Member Diaz-Balart,  We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, thank you for your investments over the years to our national parks given the constraints to

Coalition Signs on to FY21 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Letter

July 23, 2020 Dear Representative,  We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition , ask that you support the FY21 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill as part of the minibus package. We also urge you to oppose any policy riders that harm our national parks.  We support the robust $200

Testimony of Philip A. Francis, Jr. Chair of the Executive Council

Statement for the Record Philip A. Francis, Jr. Chair of the Executive Council Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations House of Representatives Hearing on FY 2021 Budget for the National Park Service March 6, 2020 Rep. McCollum, Rep. Joyce, and members of the subcommittee, thank

Coalition: National Park Visitation Demands Greater National Park Service Budget

  Coalition: National Park Visitation Demands Greater National Park Service Budget By Kurt Repanshek on March 2nd, 2020 © National Parks Traveler   While visitation to the National Park System remains strong, the same can’t be said of the National Park Service’s ability to welcome those visitors and preserve the parks’ resources, according to the

Public Lands Should Not Be Sold to Balance the Budget

  Today was the nomination hearing for Judy Shelton, President Trump’s latest nominee for the Federal Reserve Board. Shelton has expressed the view that the U.S. government should sell-off its “numerous federal land holdings” in order to “expedite the achievement of a balanced budget.” Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks,

Coalition Statement on House Spending Packages

Coalition Statement on House Spending Packages For Immediate Release: 12/18/19 “We are pleased to see the increase to the National Park Service budget and appreciate the bipartisan investment in our national parks and public lands. Our national parks and national park service employees help to ensure that irreplaceable natural and cultural resources are preserved for

CPANP Letter Opposing DOI Reorg and the Use of Unobligated Funds

    October 9, 2019 Dear Chairmen Murkowski and McCollum and Ranking Members Udall and Joyce: We are writing on behalf of over 1,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park Service (NPS). The Coalition studies, educates, speaks,

Coalition Statement on the House Appropriations Committee draft fiscal year 2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

Statement on the House Appropriations Committee draft fiscal year 2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill Release Date: 5/15/19 “We pleased to see that this draft funding bill proposes $3.39 billion for the National Park Service, which is $168 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and $649 million above President Trump’s appalling

Coalition Submits Testimony on FY20 Interior Appropriations

Statement of Philip A. Francis, Jr. Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate FY 2020 Budget for the National Park Service May 13, 2019 Sen. Murkowski, Sen. Udall, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf

Coalition Testifies Before Congress on DOI Budget Needs

  Statement of Richard G. Ring Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations House of Representatives Hearing on FY 2020 Budget for the National Park Service February 26, 2019 Rep. McCollum, Rep. Joyce, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before

Coalition Statement on President’s Budget

The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks is alarmed at the extent the National Park Service’s budget will be reduced should the President’s budget be adopted. While we have not seen how the Interior Department’s overall 11.7% cut will be allocated between agencies within Interior, should a cut of that magnitude be levied against the NPS and its parks, there will by widespread reductions in programs, operating hours, seasonal and permanent staff, and visitor services.