President's 2021 budget: A giant leap backward for parks and conservation
U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, DC
Mason Cummings (TWS)
Wilderness Society response to Trump administration budget proposed for FY2021.
Jonathan Asher, Director of Government Relations, Conservation Funding, The Wilderness Society:
“Today’s proposed budget will not only damage our wild places and natural treasures now, but for decades to come. At a time when our public lands and local communities face an ever-growing list of challenges from population growth to the climate crisis, we need to be investing in conservation to avoid the onslaught impacts that we’ll see in the coming years.
Local communities know that investing in public lands and outdoor recreation is a smart and sustainable economic move. Investments in conservation provide a four-to-one economic return on investment. Our national parks return to the nation’s economy 10 dollars for every dollar invested. Simply put, this budget is short-sighted and aimed at appeasing a political fringe.”
The president’s proposed budget includes:
- A 16% overall cut to the Department of Interior,
- A 97% cut to critical land conservation and climate adaptation efforts via the Land and Water Conservation Fund,
- A $19 million cut to important land use planning efforts,
- Consolidations and cuts to critical local climate planning assistance programs,
- Significant cuts to the care of national monuments, wilderness areas, maintenance backlogs, and other vital core functions of our land management agencies,
- A faulty reliance on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for revenue.
Contact: Jonathan Asher, Director of Government Relations, Conservation Funding, 202 713-7201, jonathan_asher@tws.org.
Michael Reinemer, Deputy Director, Strategic Communications, 202-429-3949, michael_reinemer@tws.org.
The Wilderness Society, founded in 1935, is the leading conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. With more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 111 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. www.wilderness.org.
