What 'Make America Beautiful Again' Means for National Parks
While both orders would represent an abrupt change of tone for an administration that's largely expanded mining and drilling leases across US public lands, the language used to outline future changes is vague, at best.
'We hope this departure from Trump's anti-public lands agenda becomes the norm and isn't just a PR ploy to distract voters from the backlash some Republicans received after spending months trying to sell off these same public lands to the highest bidder,' says Anna Peterson, executive director of The Mountain Pact, a nonprofit project that works with elected officials in Western US mountain towns.
Here's what we know so far about how the orders could impact national park funding, staffing, and access.
Funding
The two orders come on the heels of $267 million in cuts to the National Park Service (NPS) via the current budget reconciliation bill and a reduction of 24% to the NPS' permanent staff. In order to increase revenue and improve park affordability for US residents, the Improving Our National Parks executive order makes mention that entry fees for foreign tourists will be raised. As of this writing, no details have been published on the specifics of the fee hikes.
The Make America Beautiful Again executive order also claims that regulatory overreach has 'undermined outdoor traditions and conservation funding' and that mismanagement has led to more than $23 billion in deferred maintenance at the NPS. But what the order doesn't explain is that the Trump administration itself is the reason that the circa-2020 Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) failed to fully use the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) budget, leading to increased maintenance backlogs at US national parks. Additional legislation proposed by Republicans would further defund the LWCF, which was supposed to be permanently funded by the GAOA by using proceeds from offshore oil and gas royalty payments.
Visiting a National Park This Summer? Here's What to Expect
In the face of mass firings, seasonal staffing shortages, and spending cuts, your national park vacation might look a little different this year.
Staffing
Out of the 8,000 NPS seasonal staff that the administration pledged to hire this summer, only about 4,500 have been put in place. Many who work for conservation groups are sounding alarms in reaction, while others are cautiously hopeful that the recent executive orders may reflect shifting priorities.
'Over 330 million visitors flock to parks because of their unrivaled beauty and history,' says Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA). 'Dedicated Park Service staff ensure [that] resources are protected. We call on the administration to exempt the Park Service from the hiring freeze and restore positions, or this executive order will go nowhere.'
A mere six days after the executive orders were published, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction that blocked the president from directing federal agencies to administer large-scale reductions in their workforces. The TL;DR, according to the NPCA, is that this ruling paves the way for the Trump administration to move forward with even more staffing reductions to the National Park Service. The 'Improving Our National Parks' executive order also calls for an end to a 2017 Presidential Memorandum promoting diversity and inclusion across America's public lands.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill'
The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (OBBB), signed into law on July 4, contains policies that will increase oil and gas leasing and repeal clean energy tax credits. This will result in higher energy costs — costs that will be passed on to consumers. Wholesale electricity prices are expected to increase 25% by 2030 and 74% by 2035. Electricity rates paid by consumers are expected to increase between 9%-18% and household energy costs are anticipated to go up $170 annually by 2035. Find Out: Read Next: Many Republican-led states are expected to bear the brunt of higher energy costs primarily because, unlike some Democrat-led states, they generally don't have their own policies to develop renewable energy. But a few blue states should brace for impact. A new analysis by the Energy Innovation Policy & Technology, LLC found that four majority Democrat states will be among the 20 to see the biggest annual increases to household energy costs by 2035. 4. Colorado Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$310 Learn More: 3. California Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$320 2. Maryland Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$350 1. Minnesota Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$410 More From GOBankingRates 3 Reasons Retired Boomers Shouldn't Give Their Kids a Living Inheritance (And 2 Reasons They Should) This article originally appeared on 4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Epstein grand jury transcripts 'a distraction'
Grand jury transcripts in the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend are unlikely to reveal much, if anything, that is not already known about the financier's crimes, former federal prosecutors say. Attorney Sarah Krissoff, an assistant US attorney in Manhattan from 2008 to 2021, called the request in the prosecutions of Epstein and imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell "a distraction". "The president is trying to present himself as if he's doing something here and it really is nothing," Krissoff told The Associated Press. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made the request on Friday, US time, asking judges to unseal transcripts from grand jury proceedings that resulted in indictments against Epstein and Maxwell. Blanche said "transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this administration". The request came as the administration sought to contain the firestorm that followed its announcement it would not be releasing additional files from the Epstein probe despite previously promising it would. US President Donald Trump faces increased scrutiny about his relationship with Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. The Epstein case has generated conspiracy theories that became popular among Trump's base of supporters who believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. Some of Trump's most loyal followers became furious after his administration reversed course on its promise to release files related to the Epstein investigation. Meanwhile, Trump is suing the Wall Street Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper reported that he in 2003 sent Epstein a birthday greeting that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared. Epstein killed himself at age 66 in his federal jail cell in 2019, a month after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, while Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence imposed after her 2021 sex trafficking conviction for luring girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Krissoff and Joshua Naftalis, a Manhattan federal prosecutor for 11 years before entering private practice in 2023, said grand jury presentations are purposely brief. Naftalis said prosecutors present just enough to a grand jury to get an indictment but "it's not going to be everything the FBI and investigators have figured out about Maxwell and Epstein". "People want the entire file from however long. That's just not what this is," he said, estimating that the transcripts, at most, probably amount to a few hundred pages. "It's not going to be much," Krissoff said, estimating the length at as little as 60 pages, "because the Southern District of New York's practice is to put as little information as possible into the grand jury". "They basically spoon-feed the indictment to the grand jury. That's what we're going to see," she said. "I just think it's not going to be that interesting ... I don't think it's going to be anything new." Both ex-prosecutors said grand jury witnesses in Manhattan are usually federal agents summarising their witness interviews. Krissoff predicted that judges who presided over the Epstein and Maxwell cases will reject the government's request. "This is not a 50-, 60-, 80-year-old case," Krissoff noted. "There's still someone in custody." Cheryl Bader, a former federal prosecutor and Fordham Law School criminal law professor, said judges who presided over the Epstein and Maxwell cases may take weeks or months to rule. "Especially here where the case involved witnesses or victims of sexual abuse, many of which are underage, the judge is going to be very cautious about what the judge releases," she said. Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, called Trump's comments and influence in the Epstein matter "unprecedented" and "extraordinarily unusual" because he is a sitting president.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Microsoft alerts businesses, governments to server software attack
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Microsoft has issued an alert about "active attacks" on server software used by government agencies and businesses to share documents within organizations, and it recommended security updates that customers should apply immediately. The FBI on Sunday said it is aware of the attacks and is working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details. In an alert issued on Saturday, Microsoft said the vulnerabilities apply only to SharePoint servers used within organizations. It said that SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365, which is in the cloud, was not hit by the attacks. The Washington Post, which first reported the hacks, said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses. The hack is known as a "zero day" attack because it targeted a previously unknown vulnerability, the newspaper said, quoting experts. Tens of thousands of servers were at risk. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the alert, Microsoft said that a vulnerability "allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network." It issued recommendations to stop the attackers from exploiting it. In a spoofing attack, an actor can manipulate financial markets or agencies by hiding the actor's identity and appearing to be a trusted person, organization or website. Microsoft said on Sunday it issued a security update for SharePoint Subscription Edition, which it said customers should apply immediately. It said it is working on updates to 2016 and 2019 versions of SharePoint. If customers cannot enable recommended malware protection, they should disconnect their servers from the internet until a security update is available, it said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
