Infrastructure requests recall park needs
Gov. Bill Walker’s recent list of infrastructure requests for President Donald Trump highlighted the state’s struggles to build and maintain infrastructure. As the state pushes for infrastructure money, it is important to remember the national parks in Alaska and their infrastructure needs as well.
Alaska’s national parks are among America’s favorite places. They are unique pieces of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage set aside for visitors now and in the future to explore. They are also an incredible economic driver for Alaska. Last year, the record number of visitors to Alaska’s national parks spent more than $1.2 billion in the state and accounted for the employment of over 17,000 people.
While the national parks also welcomed a record-breaking
331 million visitors nationwide last year, the National Park Service’s $11.3 billion infrastructure maintenance backlog is an ever-growing challenge for our national parks. The backlog includes unmaintained trails, crumbling roads and visitor centers in desperate need of upgrades. No park is immune to this problem. Alaska national parks face a backlog of approximately $114 million in infrastructure maintenance backlog needs. Denali has the largest backlog, needing more than
$50 million in 2015.
Recently, Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, Derek Kilmer, D-Washington, Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, and Dave Reichert, R-Washington, introduced legislation to make a concerted effort to making these repairs. The National Park Service Legacy Act, the House companion to an identical Senate bill introduced by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, earlier this year, would eventually allocate $500 million annually to the National Park Service from existing revenues the government receives for oil and natural gas royalties every year until 2047.
This bipartisan proposal will make our parks better prepared to continue welcoming visitors eager to explore Alaska’s incredible places. Last year, the National Park Service celebrated its centennial. As our parks move into their second century, Congress should seize on this bipartisan momentum to help fix our parks by enacting this proposal. Keeping our Alaska national parks up and running is important for Alaskans and Americans who visit and are inspired by them, and it’s also extremely important for Alaska’s economy.
By: Jim Adams
Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner