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May 19, 2022
National Park Service: FY2023 Appropriations
The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National
Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF)—the deferred
Park System, which includes 423 units valued for their
maintenance fund established by the GAOA—which is
natural, cultural, and recreational importance. System lands
allocated from a DOI department-wide account.
cover 81 million federal acres and 4 million nonfederal
acres. As part of the Department of the Interior (DOI), NPS
NPS’s Appropriations Accounts
receives funding in annual appropriations laws for Interior,
NPS has five discretionary appropriations accounts (Figure
Environment, and Related Agencies. Selected issues for
1). The majority of NPS discretionary appropriations
Congress include the total level of NPS appropriations,
typically have gone to the Operation of the National Park
funding to address NPS’s backlog of deferred maintenance,
System (ONPS) account to support day-to-day activities,
and funds for NPS assistance to nonfederal entities.
programs, and services at park units. These include resource
FY2023 Request
stewardship, visitor services, park protection, facility
operations and maintenance, and administrative costs.
The Biden Administration requested $3.607 billion in
discretionary appropriations for NPS for FY2023. The
Figure 1. NPS Discretionary Appropriations Accounts
requested amount is 10% higher than NPS’s FY2022
(percentages reflect FY2022 appropriations)
discretionary appropriation of $3.265 billion enacted in P.L.
117-103, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022. (The
FY2022 total does not include $229.5 million provided in
P.L. 117-43 as supplemental funding in response to natural
disasters, which is designated as emergency spending
outside of discretionary spending limits.) The FY2023
request includes increases for some accounts and level
funding or reductions for others compared with FY2022
(Table 1).
The Administration also estimated $1.143 billion in
mandatory appropriations for NPS for FY2023, an increase
of 5% over estimated NPS mandatory funding for FY2022.
These mandatory appropriations come from entrance and
recreation fees, concessioner fees, donations, and other
Source: Joint explanatory statement for P.L. 117-103.
sources, and also include land acquisition funding from the
Notes: ONPS = Operation of the National Park System;
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF, 54 U.S.C.
NR&P = National Recreation and Preservation. FY2022 data do not
§§200301 et seq.). The LWCF funding had been provided
reflect supplemental (emergency-designated) appropriations in P.L.
in discretionary appropriations through FY2020 but was
117-43 to address natural disasters.
made mandatory in the Great American Outdoors Act
(GAOA; P.L. 116-152). NPS’s mandatory total does not
include NPS’s share from the National Parks and Public
Table 1. NPS Discretionary Appropriations by Account ($ in millions)
FY2022 Enacted
FY2023
% Change from
Account
(P.L. 117-103)
Request
FY2022
Operation of the Nat’l. Park System
2,767.0
3,086.6
+12%
Construction
226.0a
279.3
+24%
Historic Preservation Fund
173.1
151.8
-12%
Nat’l. Recreation and Preservation
83.9
74.6
-11%
Centennial Challenge
15.0
15.0
—
Total
3,265.0
3,607.3
+10%
Sources: Joint explanatory statement for P.L. 117-103, and NPS FY2023 budget request. Totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
a. Does not include supplemental funding provided in P.L. 117-43 to address natural disasters, which is designated as emergency spending
outside of discretionary spending limits.
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National Park Service: FY2023 Appropriations
NPS’s Construction account covers repair, replacement,
LRF, which receives deposits based on amounts of federal
and improvement of existing facilities as well as new
energy revenues each year for five years. The fund has a
construction. Projects are evaluated based on criteria related
cap of $1.900 billion annually, with 70% of the available
to the condition of assets, their importance to park
funding allocated to NPS. For FY2021 and FY2022, the
purposes, and project benefits and risks. The account also
maximum revenues were available, so NPS received $1.330
covers other construction activities and planning.
billion each year. Under the GAOA, NPS must submit to
Congress, with annual budget justifications, lists of priority
NPS administers historic preservation programs through its
DM projects to be addressed with LRF funding.
Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) account. Under the
Appropriators may specify alternate allocations for the
National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. §§300101 et
funds. For FY2021 and FY2022, the funds were allocated
seq.), the HPF receives $150 million annually from offshore
as proposed in the NPS budget submissions. For more
energy revenues, but monies are available only as provided
information, see CRS In Focus IF11636, The Great
in appropriations acts. Most of the funding goes to state and
American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-152).
tribal historic preservation offices as formula grants to
preserve cultural and historical assets and sites. Congress
Additionally, allocations from the Highway Trust Fund
also has made available some funding for nationally
support NPS road repair and improvements, including DM.
competitive grant programs.
Other mandatory funding sources, such as recreation fees,
also have been used for NPS DM. For more information,
The National Recreation and Preservation (NR&P) account
see CRS Report R44924, National Park Service Deferred
funds NPS programs that assist state, local, tribal, and
Maintenance: Frequently Asked Questions.
private land managers with grants for outdoor recreation
planning, natural and cultural resource preservation, and
Land Acquisition Funding
other activities. The largest single program funded through
The GAOA shifted LWCF land acquisition funding from
the account is NPS assistance to national heritage areas.
discretionary to mandatory spending. Allocation of the
The Centennial Challenge account supports the National
funding remains an issue in the appropriations process, as
Park Centennial Challenge Fund. Authorized by Congress
the GAOA requires that agency budget submissions include
in 2016 (54 U.S.C. §103501), the fund provides matching
account, program, and project allocations for the LWCF
grants to spur partner donations for projects or programs
funds, and appropriations acts may specify alternate
that further the NPS mission and enhance the visitor
allocations. For FY2022, in addition to allocating monies
experience. Deferred maintenance is prioritized. The fund
for projects proposed in the NPS budget request,
also is authorized to receive offsetting collections from the
appropriators designated five NPS land acquisition projects
sale of senior passes under the Federal Lands Recreation
as community project funding/congressionally directed
Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. §§6801-6814).
spending. For more information, see CRS Report RL33531,
Land and Water Conservation Fund: Overview, Funding
Issues for Congress
History, and Issues; and CRS In Focus IF11636, The Great
American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-152).
Deferred Maintenance
NPS’s backlog of deferred maintenance (DM), estimated at
NPS Assistance to Nonfederal Sites and Programs
$21.83 billion total (as of the first quarter of FY2022), has
Some Members of Congress and other stakeholders have
been a significant issue in the appropriations process.
questioned whether NPS assistance to nonfederal sites and
Despite legislation and agency actions aimed at addressing
programs should be reduced in order to focus funding on
the backlog, it has increased over the past decade, including
the agency’s “core” mission of managing national parks.
a 59% increase between FY2020 and FY2021 that NPS
Two NPS discretionary accounts (NR&P and HPF) provide
attributes primarily to changes in its methods for estimating
funding for such nonfederal assistance. These accounts
DM. NPS funding to address DM comes from multiple
combined represented less than 10% of total NPS funding
sources and includes both discretionary and mandatory
in FY2022. For FY2023, the Biden Administration’s
spending. Congress may continue to assess NPS’s progress
request would decrease overall funding for both accounts,
in addressing DM, including the balance of discretionary
while increasing funding for some programs. In previous
and mandatory funding provided for this purpose.
years, both the Trump and the Obama Administrations
proposed reductions for some programs, including NPS
Two discretionary appropriations subactivities (“Line-Item
grants to national heritage areas, which are nonfederally
Construction and Maintenance” in the Construction account
managed. Some stakeholders have encouraged heritage
and “Repair and Rehabilitation” in the ONPS account) have
areas to develop plans for self-sufficiency, but Congress has
been primary sources of discretionary funding for NPS DM,
increased heritage area funding over the past decade. For
although they are not exclusively used for DM. For
more information, see CRS Report RL33462, Heritage
FY2022, P.L. 117-103 provided $272.7 million for these
Areas: Background, Proposals, and Current Issues; CRS
two budget subactivities; for FY2023, NPS requests $270.7
Report R45800, The Federal Role in Historic Preservation:
million. Portions of other NPS discretionary budget
An Overview; and CRS Report R42757, National Park
activities also are used for DM.
Service Appropriations: Ten-Year Trends.
The majority of mandatory spending for NPS DM derives
from the GAOA (P.L. 116-152), enacted in 2020. To
Laura B. Comay, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
address DM of five agencies, the GAOA established the
IF12112
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National Park Service: FY2023 Appropriations
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