Image of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.

President Trump’s 2020 budget request was issued Monday and the National Parks stand to take a pretty serious funding hit. Also a change in focus of where the money earmarked for the Interior Department will be directed might adversely effect the NPS.

The Washington Post reports the budget requests $12.5 billion for the Interior Department, $2 billion less than 2019, a 14% decrease. Economic development grants that help municipalities recover from disruptive mining operations on public lands would be eliminated and the Interior’s priorities would shift to energy development on land and offshore.

The National Park Service’s already has a $12 billion backlog of neglected infrastructure that needs fixing like outdated buildings and crumbling roads/bridges. The 2020 budget provides just under $300 million towards these projects. Here’s a breakdown of the proposed budget by bureau:

The Fiscal Year 2020 Budget is available to read in it’s entirety here. 

 

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