NEW REPORT: Trump’s Plan to Offload National Parks to States Would Devastate Local Economies and Worsen Environmental Injustice
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Transferring national parks to state control would shift $23 billion in maintenance costs to states while destroying jobs and threatening access to nature for our communities
WASHINGTON — President Trump and congressional Republicans’ plan to transfer national parks to states would devastate local economies, overwhelm state budgets, and thwart the National Park Service’s goals to attract visitors of diverse backgrounds and exist “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” A new report released by Climate Power shows that states would inherit nearly $23 billion in maintenance backlog costs without the federal support, infrastructure, or grants necessary to handle them, while losing billions in tourism revenue as services degrade and fees rise.
“Trump and congressional Republicans have already tried to sell our public lands and have been slashing funding and firing thousands of dedicated workers who protect our shared natural heritage. Now, they’re shifting the responsibility to states despite knowing that they cannot handle the cost of adequately protecting these parks,” said Elice Rojas-Cruz, Managing Director for Climate Power En Acción. “This reckless move will deepen environmental injustice by creating new barriers to access. To help manage the burden, states will need to make changes like charging higher fees, which will further prevent Latino, Black and Indigenous families from enjoying these natural wonders now and for generations to come.”
“By transferring ‘sort of small-p parks’ to the states, the Trump Administration and its supporters aren’t giving states more power or saving taxpayer money,” said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee blasting the Trump Administration for plans to offload national park units to states. “They’ll be cutting off your access to public lands and devastating state economies in the process, overwhelming state budgets and dismantling the systems that keep public lands running.”
The proposed transfer would also end federal benefits providing free and subsidized park access to 17 million veterans, active-duty military, and 10 million seniors. Unlike the current nationwide system, state park passes vary significantly in cost, coverage, and restrictions, and aren’t transferable between states. This shift would impose new financial burdens on those who earned these benefits through military service or age, replacing a simple, unified national program with a confusing patchwork of inconsistent state systems.
View the full report here. We also have state fact sheets available for the following states: