Statement

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 United States House of Representatives FY 2025 Appropriations for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior May 10, 2024 Chairman Simpson, Ranking Member Pingree, and

May 1, 2024 Dear Members of Congress, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition urge increased funding levels in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriation bill to address significant park understaffing and related operational and infrastructure shortfalls in parks throughout the country. The National Park Service’s

Release Date: May 2, 2024 Media Contact: Emily Thompson 202-758-3936 Coalition Celebrates Expansion of Two National Monuments Today, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, both located in California. “We applaud President Biden’s actions to expand both the San

April 25, 2024 Dear Representatives: On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, the undersigned organizations write in strong opposition to H.R. 6285, the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act of 2023, and urge you to VOTE NO on passage. This extreme legislation would reverse several critical actions undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration to protect

April 19, 2024 Mr. Dan Murphy Manager Division of Habitat Conservation and Restoration U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 177 Admiral Cochran Drive Annapolis, MD 21401-7307 Subject: Support for Establishment of the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge Dear Mr. Murphy: I am writing on behalf of more than 2,500 members of the Coalition to Protect

Release Date: April 19, 2024 Media Contact: Emily Thompson, 202-758-3936 Coalition Applauds “No Action” Decision on Ambler Road Proposal Today, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its final supplemental environmental analysis for the Ambler Road project, which was proposed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export

Release Date: April 18, 2024 Media Contact: Emily Thompson 202-758-3936 Coalition Applauds BLM Public Lands Rule Today, the Department of the Interior announced a final rule to help guide the balanced management of America’s public lands. The final Public Lands Rule provides tools for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to help improve the health

April 16, 2024 Contact: Emily Thompson Coalition Urges Designation of Proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Proposed Expansion of Joshua Tree National Park Today, Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Raul Ruiz sent a joint letter to President Biden urging him to use the Antiquities Act to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument and protect approximately 17,000 acres

  Release Date: April 12, 2024 Media Contact: Emily Thompson Em************@********ps.org 202-758-3936 Coalition Celebrates New Oil and Gas Rule Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a final rule to revise BLM oil and gas leasing regulations, which will help to reform the federal oil and gas leasing

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY THE COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS * FRIENDS OF THE EARTH US * ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD April 10, 2024 BLM New Mexico State Office Attention: Melanie Barnes, State Director 301 Dinosaur Trail Santa Fe, NM 87508 Re:  Protest of lease parcels for the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management 2024 Second

  March 21, 2024 Sarah Brubaker Office of Community Relations Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 1021 North Grand Ave. East, P.O. Box 19276 Springfield, IL 62794-9506 Electronic Filing via Email Sa************@******is.gov Re: Comments on Illinois’ Regional Haze State Implementation Plan for the Second Implementation Period The National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, the Coalition to Protect

  March 20, 2024 President Joe Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 The Honorable Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Jeff Merkley 531 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Subject: Support for an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument Dear President Biden, Senator Wyden, and Senator Merkley: We

    ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW   March 20, 2024   Superintendent Pedro Ramos Attn: Wilderness Stewardship Plan    Everglades National Park  40001 State Road 9336  Homestead, FL 33034    Subject:  Everglades Wilderness Stewardship Plan   Dear Superintendent Ramos:   I am writing on behalf of more than 2,500 members of the

March 20, 2024 Representative Bruce Westerman, Chairman Representative Raúl Grijalva, Ranking Member House Committee on Natural Resources 1324 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Re: H.R. 5499, Congressional Oversight of the Antiquities Act Dear Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva, On behalf of the undersigned organizations and our millions of members across the country,

March 18, 2024 William Kenny Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Lazarus Government Center P.O. Box 1049 Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 Electronic Filing via Email Wi***********@******io.gov Re: Comments on the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Supplement to the Regional Haze State Implementation Plan for the Second Implementation Period The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Sierra Club, the Coalition to

  Funding cuts are pushing our national parks to the breaking point BY PHIL FRANCIS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR – 03/16/24 I worked for the National Park Service for 41 years, serving at program offices, battlefield sites and larger national parks such as Shenandoah, the Great Smokies and Yosemite. I retired nearly 11 years ago and became

  President’s FY25 Budget Request For National Park Service “Disappointing” By Kurt Repanshek – March 12th, 2024 Cuts in visitor interpretation and education, not enough money for employee pay raises or to replace jobs lost by past years’ cuts, and less money for replacing worn out equipment are among the troubling areas of President Biden’s

For release: March 12, 2023 Contact: Emily Thompson, Em************@********ps.org Coalition Statement on President Biden’s FY 2025 Proposed Budget Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement on President Biden’s FY 2025 budget: “We were disappointed in the final budget numbers that were just passed for FY 2024, and

  March 8, 2024 Preston McLane Program Administrator Division of Air Resource Management Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 5500 Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400 Electronic Filing via Email to Pr************@********EP.gov Re: Comments on Florida’s Supplemental Amendment to Previously Proposed Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period. The National Parks Conservation Association

  March 8, 2024 Ezra Thrush, Director Policy Office Department of Environmental Protection Rachel Carson State Office Building P.O. Box 2063 Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063 Re: Proposed Revision to State Implementation Plan Regional Haze Best Available Retrofit Technology Dear Mr. Thrush: The National Parks Conservation Association, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Sierra Club, PennFuture, Clean

  For release: March 5, 2023 Contact: Emily Thompson Coalition Concerned Over Impending NPS Budget Cuts House and Senate Appropriations Committees finally released several appropriations bills, which will need to pass the full House and Senate this week to prevent a partial government shutdown. One of the six bills passed by committees includes the Department

The National Park Service, already struggling to meet staffing and operational needs, will be saddled with a $150 million cut to its current budget if Congress approves a Senate-House compromise spending plan released by the two chambers’ appropriations committees. Additionally, the bills don’t provide any additional funds to help parks cover a 5.2 percent federal pay