Obama’s budget proposes $125 million in additional funds for national parks

February 26, 4:37 PMNational Parks Recreation ExaminerRandi Minetor

Previous Next

3 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the National Parks Recreation Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Great Smoky Mountains. Photo by Nic Minetor

President Barack Obama’s proposed 2010 budget allocates $12 billion for the Department of the Interior, which includes an addition of $100 million to the national parks’ operations and maintenance budget.  Obama also proposes $25 million to leverage private donations for national park projects.

 “President Obama has laid out a fiscally responsible blueprint for 2010,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a prepared statement distributed by the department.  “He has made tough choices, underscored his priorities, and stressed the need for federal agencies to carry out their missions with transparency and accountability to the American taxpayer.”

Highlights of the proposed funding for Interior include the following:

• $50 million to promote renewable energy projects on federal lands and waters.

• More than $130 million in additional funding to monitor and assess the impacts of climate change on the nation’s lands, fish and wildlife.

• $100 million in additional funds to operate and maintain national park facilities and resources, and $25 million to leverage private donations for park projects.

• $420 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for Interior and the U.S. Forest Service, to conserve new federal and state lands and protect endangered species

• An increase of more than $100 million for enhanced law enforcement and education in Native American communities

• A new contingent funding reserve of $75 million for the Department of the Interior, in anticipation of future costs for catastrophic wildfires

More information on the President’s 2010 budget for the Department of the Interior is online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/