National Park Service: FY2021 Appropriations

National Park Service: FY2021 Appropriations

link to page 2 link to page 1 link to page 2

Updated October 12, 2021
National Park Service: FY2021 Appropriations
The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National
resolutions provided funding at FY2020 levels before
Park System, which includes 423 units valued for their
enactment of P.L. 116-260.
natural, cultural, and recreational importance. System lands
cover 81 million federal acres and 4 million nonfederal
NPS’s Appropriations Accounts
acres. As part of the Department of the Interior (DOI), NPS
NPS had six budget accounts in FY2021, but one account—
receives funding in annual appropriations laws for Interior,
Land Acquisition and State Assistance—did not receive
Environment, and Related Agencies. This CRS product
discretionary appropriations (Figure 1 and Table 1). About
discusses NPS’s FY2021 appropriations; for information on
86% of NPS’s FY2021 discretionary appropriations went to
FY2022, see CRS In Focus IF11928, National Park
the Operation of the National Park System (ONPS) account
Service: FY2022 Appropriations.
to support day-to-day activities, programs, and services at
park units, including resource stewardship, visitor services,
FY2021 Appropriations
park protection, facility operations and maintenance, and
P.L. 116-260, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,
administrative costs. The FY2021 appropriation for the
was enacted on December 27, 2020. It contained $3.123
ONPS account was $2.688 billion; the Administration had
billion for NPS, 8% less than the enacted FY2020 regular
requested $2.517 billion.
appropriation of $3.377 billion in P.L. 116-94. The act
included increases for some NPS accounts compared with
Figure 1. NPS Appropriations Accounts, FY2021
FY2020 (Table 1) but decreased or eliminated funding for
two accounts, both covering activities that received
mandatory appropriations in the Great American Outdoors
Act (GAOA; P.L. 116-152), enacted in August 2020.
FY2021 appropriations in P.L. 116-260 were 12% higher
than the Trump Administration’s request of $2.793 billion.
The enacted discretionary appropriation exceeded the
Administration’s request for all but one NPS account.
In addition to discretionary appropriations, NPS reported
mandatory appropriations for FY2021 of $1.033 billion, an
increase of 82% over NPS mandatory funding for FY2020.
The increase was largely due to changes enacted in the
GAOA, which designated as mandatory spending agency
funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF; 54 U.S.C. §200301), previously provided through

discretionary appropriations. Other NPS mandatory
Source: Joint explanatory statement, P.L. 116-260.
appropriations come from entrance and recreation fees,
Notes: ONPS = Operation of the National Park System. NR&P =
concessioner fees, donations, and other sources. NPS’s
National Recreation & Preservation. Figure does not show
mandatory total does not include NPS’s share from the
rescissions.
deferred maintenance fund established by the GAOA,
which is recorded as a separate allocation from a DOI
The next-largest amount, 7% of the regular appropriation,
department-wide account.
went to NPS’s Construction account, which covers
rehabilitation and replacement of existing facilities as well
In earlier action, on July 24, 2020, the House passed H.R.
as new construction. NPS prioritizes deferred maintenance
7608, an FY2021 consolidated appropriations bill with
in project planning. Projects are evaluated based on
$3.224 billion for NPS (also see H.Rept. 116-448 on H.R.
department-wide criteria related to the condition of assets
7612, an earlier stand-alone House Interior bill). On
and their importance to the park’s purposes. The account
November 10, 2020, the Senate Committee on
also covers other construction activities and planning. P.L.
Appropriations released a draft bill with $3.122 billion for
116-260 appropriated $223.9 million for the NPS
NPS. Because regular FY2021 appropriations were not
Construction account for FY2021; the Administration’s
enacted by the start of the fiscal year, several continuing
request was $192.6 million.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 National Park Service: FY2021 Appropriations
Table 1. NPS Discretionary Appropriations by Account ($ in millions)
FY2020 Enacted
FY2021 House-Passed
Senate Comm.
% Change
Account
(P.L. 116-94)
Request
H.R. 7608
Draft
P.L. 116-260 FY2020-FY2021
Operation of the Nat’l. Park System
2,577.0
2,516.7
2,776.6
2,648.6
2,688.3
+4%
Construction
389.3
192.6
223.9
249.0
223.9
-42%
Land Acquisition and State Assistance
206.1
8.6
-2.0a
-2.0a
-23.0a
-111%
Historic Preservation Fund
118.7
40.7
136.4
138.0
144.3
+22%
Nat’l. Recreation and Preservation
71.2
33.9
74.3
74.0
74.2
+4%
Centennial Challenge
15.0
0
15.0
15.0
15.0
—
Total
3,377.3
2,792.6
3,224.3
3,122.3
3,122.7
-8%
Sources: Joint explanatory statement for P.L. 116-260, data from House Committee on Appropriations, and NPS FY2021 budget request.
Totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
a. For the Land Acquisition and State Assistance account, the legislation provided no new funding and contained a rescission. In past years,
this account was supported by funding from the LWCF, which was made mandatory spending by the GAOA (see above).
About 5% of the FY2021 discretionary appropriations were
Centennial Challenge Fund. Authorized by Congress in
for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) account. The
2016 (54 U.S.C. §103501), the fund provides matching
HPF was established by the National Historic Preservation
grants to spur partner donations for projects or programs
Act (54 U.S.C. §300101 et seq.). The fund receives $150
that further the NPS mission and enhance the visitor
million annually from offshore energy revenues, but monies
experience. Deferred maintenance projects are prioritized.
are available only as provided in appropriations acts. P.L.
The FY2021 appropriation for the account was $15.0
116-260 provided $144.3 million for FY2021, primarily for
million; the Administration had requested no discretionary
NPS formula grants to state and tribal historic preservation
funding. The fund also receives offsetting collections from
offices to preserve cultural and historical assets and sites.
the sale of senior passes under the Federal Lands
Portions of the total also were for competitive grant
Recreational Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. §6801).
programs, historically black colleges and universities, and
historic revitalization, as well as the Save America’s
In past years, NPS’s Land Acquisition and State Assistance
Treasures program (which preserves nationally significant
(LASA) account consisted of discretionary appropriations
sites, structures, and artifacts) and sites related to the U.S.
from the LWCF, the primary funding source for the federal
Semiquincentennial (the observance of the 250th
land management agencies to acquire lands. The account
anniversary of the founding of the United States). The
covered NPS’s own acquisitions—typically nonfederal
Administration had requested $40.7 million overall for the
“inholdings” inside the boundaries of national park units—
HPF account.
and NPS grants to states for outdoor recreation needs. In
August 2020, the GAOA made all funding from the LWCF
The National Recreation and Preservation (NR&P) account
mandatory spending. The discretionary account received no
received about 2% of the FY2021 total discretionary
funding for FY2021 and had a $23.0 million rescission.
appropriations. This account funds NPS programs that
Prior to enactment of the GAOA, the Administration had
assist state, local, tribal, and private land managers with
requested $8.6 million for the account.
grants for outdoor recreation planning, natural and cultural
resource preservation, and other activities. The largest
For More Information
single program funded through the account is NPS
For more information, see CRS Report R42757, National
assistance to national heritage areas. The FY2021
Park Service Appropriations: Ten-Year Trends; and CRS
appropriation for the NR&P account was $74.2 million, of
Report R46519, Interior, Environment, and Related
which $23.9 million was for national heritage areas. The
Agencies: Overview of FY2021 Appropriations.
Administration had requested $33.9 million for the account,
of which $0.4 million would have been for national heritage
Laura B. Comay, Dep Asst Dir/Spec
areas.
IF11661
Less than 1% of the FY2021 appropriation went to the
Centennial Challenge account, to support the National Park

https://crsreports.congress.gov

National Park Service: FY2021 Appropriations

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11661 · VERSION 3 · UPDATED