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November 20, 2019

Bill advances to help relieve maintenance backlog at Acadia, other national parks

PHOTO / LAURIE SCHREIBER Despite a $65 million backlog of deferred maintenance projects, Acadia National Park crews continued to upgrade various hiking trails this past summer. Seen here is one of the trailheads at the foot of Beech Mountain.
By Staff

A U.S. Senate committee has approved a bill that could help Acadia National Park fund its backlog of deferred maintenance work.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday endorsed the Restore Our Parks Act, which would help fund $12 billion in overdue upkeep throughout the national park system, according to a news release.

The bill next heads to the Senate floor for a full vote.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, introduced the bill earlier this year with U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Mark Warner, D-Va., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

“Deferred maintenance is a huge challenge for our national parks, and the problem grows every day we don’t do something about it,” David MacDonald, president of Friends of Acadia, said in the release.

“Acadia National Park, which hosts 3.5 million visits annually, has more than $65 million of delayed repairs to trails, roads, bridges, water systems, and buildings that are critical to the public’s enjoyment of the park. The Restore Our Parks Act would allow timely investments in parks like Acadia to ensure that they remain national treasures and local economic generators now and in the future.”

The act is supported by a bipartisan group of 44 senators and the Interior Department, and would establish the “National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund” to reduce the maintenance backlog by allocating some existing revenue the government receives from energy development. The funding could amount to as much as $1.3 billion annually for the next five years. 

PHOTO / LAURIE SCHREIBER
U.S. Sen. Angus King and other government and park officials toured park facilities in September 2018 to view the deteriorating conditions at Acadia National Park. Even the park’s own maintenance facility, seen here, is in need of serious maintenance.

“Stewardship of our public lands is not a partisan issue, which is why I’m pleased that the Restore Our Parks Act passed our Committee with strong bipartisan support,” King said in the release.

Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, said the act represents a significant investment, particularly as national parks face deal with aging infrastructure and increasing numbers of visitors.

As the number at Acadia continues to rise, there's an ever-greater urgency to address the park’s backlog on basic infrastructure, park officials said during a press event in September 2018. That includes everything from upgraded to restrooms a new visitor center. With 86 miles of roads, 17 public water systems, 158 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of carriage roads and four campgrounds, much of the deferred maintenance is below the surface, including things like culverts and wastewater systems. 

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee also approved legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was permanently reauthorized as part of the public lands package in early March. The Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act was introduced in April by King, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins R-Maine, and a bipartisan group of 12 other senators. 

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