Neglected maintenance an injustice to our national parks

Congress is right to want to fix America’s national parks. But that means maintaining them before they break down, not after.

America has much to be proud of in the 250th year since its founding, but the condition of its national parks shouldn’t be on the list. The national park system faces a maintenance backlog of $24 billion in crumbling roads, aging water systems, washed-out trails and dilapidated visitor facilities. That is more than seven times the National Park Service’s annual budget.

Congress wants to help. Last month, committees in both the House and Senate advanced bipartisan bills to dedicate roughly $1.3 billion annually for park maintenance over the next five years. 

Paying down the backlog is important. But Congress needs to do more than fix overdue repairs. It should tackle the root of the problem: a lack of funding for the routine work that keeps parks from deteriorating in the first place.

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