Great American Outdoors Month Reveals Biden’s Threats to Public Lands

​June is Great American Outdoors Month. It’s a great time to go outside and enjoy the incredible parks, forests, and wilderness areas our nation has to offer. It’s also a good time to acknowledge the threats to the health of our public lands. In the past 18 months, the Biden Administration has overseen an expansion in infrastructure deficiencies and threatened conservation funding that puts our protected lands at risk.
 
In the oil and natural gas industry, we’re proud to fund our nation’s largest federal conservation programs. Under the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), our industry almost exclusively funds the $2.8 billion annually provided for infrastructure in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. GAOA established a new National Park and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund while permanently funding the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund. The former receives over 90% of its funding from onshore oil and natural gas production and the latter receives 100% from offshore production.

​Under GAOA, the oil and natural gas industry has paid for critical infrastructure projects that help improve the visitor experiences for families and individuals while conserving the lands. For example, Yellowstone National Park received $270 million, Blue Ridge Parkway received $183.6 million, and Yosemite National Park received $99.5 million for trails, roads, and other infrastructure projects in the past two years.
 
However, these conservation programs have been mismanaged under President Biden. Recently the National Park Service announced that maintenance backlog costs across the 423 parks have grown from $13 billion to $21.8 billion. The agency has been unable to explain to media and lawmakers how this happened.  
 
The root of the problem lies in growing inefficiencies at federal agencies. A recent congressional oversight hearing revealed numerous problems within Interior and the park service including the growing costs to administer the program, conduct environmental reviews, and complete projects. More and more funds that should be spent in the field are being squandered in Washington, D.C. on paperwork and bureaucracy.
 
Making matters worse, the Interior Department encourages overcrowding of national parks. Excessive demand from millions of tourists strains facilities and infrastructure. By expanding the number of free days at national parks, waiving critical entrance fees, and running marketing campaigns, Interior draws in even more visitors without offsetting the costs.

​To compound the problem, the outdoor recreation industry overmarkets national parks as a way to enhance their brands. Popular outdoor retailers and manufacturers like REI, Patagonia, and North Face run aggressive lifestyle marketing campaigns featuring inspiring images of people using their gear at national parks already overrun with visitors, such as Yosemite and Arches. While these companies contribute to overcrowding, they’re not held responsible for the consequences.

​Interior and Congress should consider enlisting the outdoor retailers to help pay for wear and tear caused by the overcrowding they so actively encourage. For the past 18 months, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has said many times that industries that benefit from public lands should pay a “fair return” to taxpayers. We agree! For decades the oil and natural gas industry has provided billions to public lands. We invite the outdoor retailers to do their part, since they profit handsomely from their association with public lands.

​Looking ahead, public lands face a double whammy. President Biden’s ongoing efforts to stop federal oil and natural gas development not only raises energy prices for Americans, but also threatens the billions of dollars the industry provides to maintain and conserve national parks and other public lands. Unless these policies are reversed, we’ll soon see this critical revenue stream dwindle as federal oil and natural gas production declines.
 
Unfortunately, officials at Interior refuse to even acknowledge the pending threat. When pressed by lawmakers in oversight hearings, agency staff skillfully dodge the questions and fail to offer any meaningful solutions. They can’t explain why in just a few years the costs for public lands infrastructure projects have ballooned eight times the inflation rate.
 
Great American Outdoors Month is a time to celebrate and recreate. But it’s also time to hold our public land agencies responsible for managing public lands in a way that accommodates today’s visitors while ensuring the long-term viability of the lands. Otherwise, future generations may not have the outdoor opportunities we do.

Author

Aaron Johnson, Vice President of Public Affairs