Lawmakers press Interior on delays in historic preservation NOFOs and National Park operations funding
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Summary
Members raised concerns about delayed notices of funding opportunity for historic preservation funds appropriated in a disaster supplemental, National Park Service deferred maintenance, and whether smaller park units could be transferred to states or tribes to free resources for core park operations.
Committee members pressed Secretary Doug Burgum about delays in issuing notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) for disaster supplemental amounts and about proposed cuts to National Park Service operations and deferred maintenance.
Representative Tom Cole and others said the historic preservation NOFO tied to a December disaster supplemental has only slowly produced notices and that some State Historic Preservation Offices—members cited Maine and Ohio—faced staff layoffs because state apportionments and NOFOs were not yet issued. Secretary Burgum said the department is “pushing” to apportion funds and accelerate NOFOs and acknowledged the department’s shared incentive to distribute appropriated money quickly.
Members also discussed the scale of deferred maintenance in the National Park Service and the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund, which provided five years of funds but leaves a long remaining maintenance list. Burgum said the department should prioritize early repairs and noted private, state and nonprofit partnerships can help on visitor centers and interpretation in some locations.
Several members asked whether some smaller, lightly visited National Park Service units could be transferred to states, tribes or local partners so the Park Service could focus federal funds on the “crown jewel” parks. Burgum said there is “0 intention of transferring any actual national parks” (the crown jewel units), but he suggested case‑by‑case reviews of hundreds of smaller units that might be better served in partnership with states, tribes or nonprofit foundations.
Why it matters: delayed apportionments and NOFOs can halt preservation projects and force layoffs in state offices; deferred maintenance threatens visitor access and safety in park units. Any reclassification or transfer of park units would require careful legal and operational reviews and local agreement.
Discussion versus decision: the hearing produced commitments to accelerate apportionment and NOFO publication and to work with states and members on site‑by‑site reviews; no transfers or funding changes were enacted during the hearing.
Ending: members asked for follow‑up on apportionments, NOFO timelines and detailed deferred‑maintenance plans for major park units.