The Senate National Parks subcommittee met earlier this week to examine the progress made in implementing the bipartisan Great American Outdoors (GAOA), according to a report.
The GAOA was signed into law about 18 months ago.
The law was passed to create a national fund to address backlogs in maintenance requests that have turned into a major issue for national parks across the nation.
North Dakota relies on national parks to boost its economy. However, tens of millions of dollars of gap in maintenance have made it hard to accommodate guests efficiently.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven called for commitments from both the Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service during the hearing.
He requested to see the implementation of the funds that were given to the parks of North Dakota.
“The restore parks act provides funding for deferred maintenance and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota has about $50 million in deferred maintenance needs. So it’s very important we get funded,” said Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven stated that the scenic loop in Theodore Roosevelt National Park should be prioritized.
“Now they’re up to more than six miles, which is quite a long stretch that is swamped, and you can’t drive. You know, if you’ve been out there, it was right down into the ravine. So the whole road is like, you know, caved in and [repaired] six miles. That is no small task. We have $28 million already in place to fix this road. I’m just trying to push it along as quick as possible so
people can enjoy that beautiful scenic loop in the south unit.”
Hoeven hopes that the project will be completed in 2024 so that visitors can fully enjoy the splendor of the state’s national parks.