New legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives today that would address the deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and other federal agencies. In response to the new proposal, Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation issued the following statement:

“The Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act represents a collaborative, bipartisan, and bicameral effort to address the $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog of the National Park Service, along with other federal agencies, which threatens some of our nation’s most iconic historic resources and cultural artifacts. We commend Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and the original cosponsors for their leadership and commitment to reliable and dedicated funding that would enable the National Park Service to save important resources currently at risk from permanent damage or loss.”

About the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act

The Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act establishes a National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund to reduce the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service and other federal agencies. The bill would direct up to $1.3 billion annually for five years from federal mineral revenues such as royalties from on-shore and off-shore oil, gas, coal and other mineral operations, as well as renewables, that are not already allocated by law to other programs. It is the companion legislation for S.3172.