skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Congress Looks to Address Neglected Upkeep at National Parks

play audio
Play

Friday, March 9, 2018   

AUGUSTA, Maine – National parks in Maine and other states would get some much needed upkeep under a new bill in Congress.

The National Park Restoration Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, would help address the national parks maintenance backlog of more than $11 billion, through money raised from energy production on federal lands.

It's an important issue for Mainers like state Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, who owns the Union River Lobster Pot near Acadia National Park. Langley says besides their natural and historical significance, national parks fuel local economies.

"Having Acadia National Park in Maine is akin to putting the milk in the back of the store,” he says. “People come all the way through Maine to get to Acadia National Park, and they stop along the way and buy gas and eat, and stay overnight. And so for many, many of us, it's an important part of our summer business."

It's estimated that in 2016, visitors spent more than $275 million in the gateway communities to Maine's four national parks, generating over 4,500 jobs. But in 2017, the maintenance backlog in the Maine parks topped $60 million.

Marcia Argust, project director with The Pew Charitable Trusts' "Restore America's Parks" program, says with this legislation, Congress now has a number of bipartisan initiatives that would provide funds to fix national parks. She believes it demonstrates that Congress and the Trump administration are listening to the public.

"They understand that parks preserve our history, and they understand that parks are important for the economics of local communities,” says Argust. “So, I think the outpouring of support from these voices is being heard."

The National Park Restoration Act would create a fund for high-priority deferred maintenance needs, using half of onshore and offshore revenue from energy production on federal lands not already allocated to other uses.

Langley is convinced it's a smart move.

"That is such a fair trade, that those companies and people that are looking to extract oil, that those fees and such be turned back into preserving and up keeping and maintaining these pristine parts of our country."

A 2017 report commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that more than 110,000 jobs could be created or supported by addressing the maintenance backlog.


Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021