WASHINGTON, D.C. May 14, 2019 – Of the 417 national parks evaluated, 96 percent of America’s national parks are plagued by significant air pollution problems. This and other alarming facts were included in Polluted Parks: How America is failing to protect our national parks, people and planet from air pollution, a report released by the […]
National Parks Conservation Association
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Concerns Over Plan to Use Appropriated Funds to Repay Parks’ Fee Accounts Drained During Shutdown
February 11, 2019 – Shortly after a congressional hearing to conduct oversight of the administration’s use of national park fee revenue to keep some national park open during the shutdown, National Park Service (NPS) Deputy Director Dan Smith announced that the agency will retroactively pull from appropriated funds approved by Congress to end the shutdown to […]
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Acting Interior Secretary’s Directive to Keep Parks Open Without Resource Protection Violates Century-Old Bedrock Law
Jan. 10, 2019 – This action blatantly disregards the fundamental duties of park staff who have dedicated their careers to ensuring our nation’s most precious natural and historic places are enjoyed not only today, but for years to come. Background: Despite multiple reports of unruly behavior and damage to Joshua Tree, from cutting down the […]
Posted inRegional
Fighting for Clean Air: Groups Sue EPA Over San Joaquin Valley Pollution
FRESNO, Calif. Sept. 18, 2018 – National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Medical Advocates for Healthy Air (MAHA), Committee for a Better Arvin (CBA), and Committee for a Better Shafter (CBS) filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today over its failure to enforce deadlines covering state air quality plans in the San Joaquin […]
Posted inEnviro
Groups Seek Temporary Restraining Order to Stop Grizzly Hunt
MISSOULA, Mont. August 30, 2018 – With the clock ticking down before the states of Wyoming and Idaho allow for trophy hunting of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region, a Native American tribe and conservation groups filed a request for a temporary restraining order to stop the hunt while a federal judge decides whether the […]
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Public Gets More Time to Protest National Park Fee Hike
WASHINGTON November 21, 2017 – The Trump Administration is extending its 30-day public comment period on its proposal to double or triple the entrance fees during peak visiting seasons at 17 national parks for another month. The fee proposal would increase fees as high as $70 at some of our most visited national parks like […]
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Administration Proposes Massive Park Fee Increase
WASHINGTON October 25, 2017 – The Trump Administration yesterday proposed massive fee increases in 17 national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arches and Rocky Mountain, allowing only a 30-day comment period to consider public input. Over 100 parks currently charge entrance fees, which were raised by the National Park Service in 2015 and 2016 after an […]
Posted inEnviro
Oil, Gas Leasing Threatens 7 Western National Parks
WASHINGTON June 7, 2017 – As the Trump Administration considers how to manage energy production on public lands, a new report by National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) highlights seven national parks endangered by potential encroaching energy development. “Out of Balance: National Parks and the Threat of Oil and Gas Development,” details the extent of possible […]
Posted inCalifornia
Feds Reverse Course on Desert Water Mining Scheme
PALM SPRINGS, April 11, 2017 – Last week, the Department of Interior reversed course and took steps that could lead to approval of a controversial groundwater mining proposal. The Cadiz Inc. proposal would pump 16 billion gallons of water per year from the Mojave Desert to southern Orange County by way of a pipeline. By […]
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House Moves to Encourage Drilling in National Parks
WASHINGTON January 31, 2017 – Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) last night introduced H.J. Res. 46, which seeks to repeal updates to the National Park Service’s “9B” rules. The rules require detailed planning and set safety standards for oil and gas drilling inside the more than 40 national parks that have “split estate” ownership, where the […]
Posted inOp-Ed
NPCA: Trump’s Interior Pick Must Protect Parks and Public Lands
WASHINGTON December 9, 2016 – Below is a statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of National Parks Conservation Association, following news reports of the pending nomination of Cathy McMorris Rodgers to serve as Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration: “For the last 100 years, Americans have had the privilege of visiting places […]
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New Methane Rules Will Help Protect National Parks
WASHINGTON November 15, 2016 – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) took a big step toward protecting national parks across the West with its finalization of new rules to curb methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities on public and tribal lands. Each year, millions of cubic feet of methane from these facilities […]