[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 103 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1280-E1281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL PARKS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 1996

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM KOLBE

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 12, 1996

  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, this week I introduced legislation that would 
help alleviate the enormous $4.5 billion backlog of capital needs in 
America's national parks. I believe this is a problem that demands the 
immediate attention of Congress, even as we seek to balance the Federal 
budget and struggle to reduce the Nation's staggering $5.2 trillion 
debt. Congress has increased funding for national parks in fiscal year 
1997, but the need is growing much faster. Park utilization is rising 
rapidly, and infrastructure needs replacement. We cannot expect 
appropriated funds to meet all of these needs. The time has come for us 
to explore more creative solutions to this vexing problem.
  One thing Congress can do is to make it possible for substantial 
funds to be raised in the private sector for parks. The bill I am 
introducing today does just that. It provides an innovative mechanism 
for the public to invest directly in the preservation and enhancement 
of our national parks.
  Specifically, my bill enables private, nonprofit organizations 
associated with the National Park Service to issue taxable capital 
development bonds that would be paid for by park entrance fees, that 
are not to exceed $2 per visitor. Money collected in a particular park 
will be used to secure bonds that fund improvements in that park. I 
think the preceding statement is the cornerstone of this legislation 
and it bears repeating. Money collected in a particular park will be 
used to secure bonds that fund improvements in that park. Any national 
park with capital needs in excess of $5 million will be eligible to 
participate in the revenue bonds program.
  I believe park officials will enthusiastically embrace this program, 
and the Director of the National Park Service has already informed me 
that he is excited about the prospects of this legislation. After all, 
the needs are real, immediate, and nationwide. Moreover, my bill offers 
a practical solution to a serious dilemma. Rangers at Grand Canyon 
National Park, for example, are obliged to live in squalid conditions 
because funds have not been available to build sufficient housing. 
Saguaro National Park has an estimated $10 million backlog in 
infrastructure needs, while Rocky Mountain National Park has deferred 
$50 million in needed improvements.
  Yellowstone National Park has had to close a major campground and two 
museums for lack of funds, and this year, Great Smoky Mountains 
National Park shut down 10 campgrounds and adjoining picnic areas. The 
national cemetery at Vicksburg National Military Park has been forced 
to defer $6 million in restoration and stabilization work, while 
Shenandoah National Park reports a $12 million backlog in facility 
maintenance.
  My legislation is similar to a bill recently introduced by my 
distinguished colleague and friend, Senator John McCain. It allows 
private, nonprofit groups to enter into partnership agreements with 
individual parks and the Secretary of the Interior, to act as 
authorized organizations for the benefit of the parks they serve. These 
organizations will work with park superintendents to prepare lists of 
capital improvement projects that are to be financed by taxable capital 
development bonds. These nonprofit groups, also, would be authorized to 
issue and manage such bonds on behalf of the parks.
  My bill adds a stipulation that no part of the bond proceeds, except 
interest, may be used to defray administrative costs. Bond holders and 
the visiting public will be assured that every dollar raised will 
actually be spent on in-park improvements. Also, the bill will allow 
memoranda of agreement between nonprofit entities and the National Park 
Service to be modified in the event funding priorities change. Perhaps 
most importantly, bonds issued by the nonprofit associations will be 
backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government in the event 
that Congress should remove the authority to assess the $2 entrance 
fee.

  Mr. Speaker, in these fiscally austere times, we simply must become 
more creative in finding ways to address the needs of our National Park 
System. The concept of issuing revenue bonds to fund capital 
improvements is not new. Private industry, municipalities, and other 
sectors of local government have used revenue bonds for decades and 
with great success. We can successfully apply this approach to fund 
capital development needs in our national parks, as well.
  My bill also encourages real, beneficial partnerships between the 
Federal Government and the private sector. Many groups, like the 
National Park Foundation, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the 
nearly 70 cooperating associations that presently serve the National 
Park Service, already provide invaluable financial support to the 
National Park Service. Their success proves that public-private 
partnerships can and do in fact work for the benefit of our public 
institutions. My legislation will greatly expand the ability of these 
organizations to aid the parks we cherish, and I believe they are ready 
and eager to rise to the challenge.
  Some have suggested that we should allow corporations to become 
commercial sponsors of the National Park Service. Indeed, legislation 
to this effect has been introduced in the Senate, and some park 
supporters have voiced qualified support for the proposal. But I, for 
one, take a dim view of the prospect that we should commercialize 
America's crown jewels--our precious national parks--in order to save 
them.
  Mr. Speaker, my friend Senator John McCain recently noted that 
``Americans are

[[Page E1281]]

eager to invest in our Nation's natural heritage.'' I agree. The 
American people don't want to see their national parks succumb to the 
ravages of time and use. But neither are they willing to see the 
integrity of the parks compromised by commercial exploitation. Let's 
give the National Park Service the same financial opportunities that 
our schools and community water systems currently possess--the ability 
to utilize capital development bonds. I encourage my colleagues to 
support this legislation.

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